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Hamas deploys militia

Chris McGreal

Jerusalem: Hamas deployed a private army of about 3,000 armed men on the streets of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday in a challenge to the authority of the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. The Islamist group said the force would restore order amid growing security chaos but some Palestinian leaders feared that it would add to the unrest since much of the violence has been caused by rivalries between Hamas and Mr. Abbas's Fatah movement. Dozens of members of the Hamas force went into action using rifles and clubs to break up a peaceful protest by unemployed teachers. The Hamas men also took up positions outside Government Ministries and guarding banks, and could be seen patrolling the streets of Gaza city. The force is led by Jamal Abu Samhadana, who has been responsible for rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel. The Interior Minister, Saeed Seyam, said he had deployed the force to combat a ``state of chaos and anarchy''. Last week three armed men were killed and about a dozen civilians wounded in fighting between Hamas and Fatah. Mr. Seyam described the violence as ``a plot to destabilise the Palestinian territories''. Mr. Abbas has tried to retain overall control of the myriad Palestinian security forces. ``The formation of this unit is illegal,'' a Fatah spokesman said. ``It violates the presidential decree.''

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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