They first trotted out this charming practice when they rolled Gaza last June…
Hamas was not using a random hit list. Every Hamas patrol carried with it a laptop containing a list of Fatah operatives in Gaza, and an identity number and a star appeared next to each name. A red star meant the operative was to be executed and a blue one meant he was to be shot in the legs – a special, cruel tactic developed by Hamas, in which the shot is fired from the back of the knee so that the kneecap is shattered when the bullet exits the other side. A black star signaled arrest, and no star meant that the Fatah member was to be beaten and released. Hamas patrols took the list with them to hospitals, where they searched for wounded Fatah officials, some of whom they beat up and some of whom they abducted.
… and now they’re bringing it back:
Fatah officials in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post that Hamas militiamen had been assaulting many Fatah activists since the beginning of the operation last Saturday. They said at least 75 activists were shot in the legs while others had their hands broken… Meanwhile, sources close to Hamas revealed over the weekend that the movement had “executed” more than 35 Palestinians who were suspected of collaborating with Israel and were being held in various Hamas security installations.
Maybe they figure that – having already brought back hospital vigilantism – they might as well. Or maybe this is just a perverse homage to the late unlamented Nazir Rayyan. Either way: 35 confirmed civilian deaths over the course of two days. Isn’t that roughly the same as after the second day of Cast Lead, when between 10%-15% of the 287 deaths were civilians? Maybe someone at the UN should talk about that.
References:
* Shock, awe and dread [Ha'aretz]
* Hamas moves on Fatah ‘collaborators’ [JPost]
* Gaza Hospitals Overflowing With Hamas Weapons, Palestinian Vigilante Murder [MR]
* Hamas leader: Rayyan the brute [Yourish]
* Israel Kills Top Hamas Nutjob Nizar Rayyan [MR]
Previously:
* Hamas Now Literally Bombing Israeli Schoolhouses
* Hamas’s "Big Surprise" – An Attack On Dimona That Will Trigger A Full-Blown Regional War?
* Video: Hamas Prepares Army Of Women And Children To Be Suicide Bombers During Urban Warfare
