Hamas Islamists in control of the Gaza Strip enforced on Monday a new ban on unlicensed street rallies, firing in the air to disperse activists of the rival Fatah movement and confiscating cameras recording the scene. Hamas's Executive Force said organisers had failed to apply for a permit to hold a rally, in accordance with new regulations issued late on Sunday. A Fatah official called the ban an "illegal decision by an illegal and illegitimate force".
Members of the Executive Force fired in the air while others confiscated yellow Fatah flags at Gaza's main square, where activists had gathered for the rally. The Hamas security men, shouting "filming is forbidden", confiscated news cameras and cellular phones equipped with cameras.
They also entered the office of the Arab satellite channel Al-Arabiya and seized a video camera and a tape after journalists working for the station refused to hand over a recording of the events at the square. Ehab al-Ghsain, spokesman of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza that is in charge of the Executive Force, said rally organisers must seek a permit 48 hours before a gathering "so we can prepare protection for participants".
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Men jailed in Gaza: A Fatah official said on Monday Hamas is holding 120 Fatah members in Gaza Strip jails, the first time the faction has given a detainee figure since the Islamist movement took control of the territory in June. Hamas has denied imprisoning Fatah men over their membership of President Mahmoud Abbas's faction, saying that only common criminals are behind bars.
A Fatah official, speaking on condition he not be identified, said hundreds of Fatah members had been detained by Hamas's Executive Force since the brief civil war in Gaza two months ago. "Out of them, there are still 120 still in jail. Twelve others remain unaccounted for," the official said. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the official's remarks were aimed at covering up what he said were the arrests in the West Bank of 420-490 Hamas supporters by the Fatah-dominated security services of President Mahmoud Abbas.