Hamas, Fatah exchange arrests before Abbas' UN speech
Hamas and Fatah engaged in reciprocal arrest campaigns of each other's supporters in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, though the Palestinian Authority denies its arrests were political in nature.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip released from custody on Sept. 27 several Fatah supporters, including students at Gaza universities and members of Fatah’s Office of Mobilization and Organization. The Fatah supporters were arrested Sept. 24 for voicing support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who gave a speech to a session of the UN General Assembly Sept. 27.
As Hamas arrested 70 Fatah supporters in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank embarked upon a similar campaign of arrests, targeting Hamas supporters and members of its student Islamic bloc at Birzeit University in Ramallah. Although the PA detained over 100 people, it did not state that the arrests were politically motivated.
