海角大神

Hamas kills member of rival Islamist group

Hamas forces killed Younis al-Honnor after he allegedly resisted arrest at his home in Gaza, where he was said to have illegally stockpiled munitions. The Palestinian cabinet denounced the 'execution.'

Hamas聽security forces killed an activist of a rival Islamist militant group in a shoot-out at his聽Gaza聽home on Tuesday, drawing strong condemnation from the聽Palestinian government聽of President Mahmoud Abbas.

Despite formally reconciling last year with the secular聽Fatah聽faction of the U.S.-backed president under a technocrat cabinet,聽Hamas聽retains de-facto control in the coastal聽Gaza聽Strip penned in by聽Israel聽and聽Egypt.

A spokesman for the聽Interior Ministry in Gaza聽said聽Hamas聽forces shot聽Younis al-Honnor聽dead after he resisted arrest at his home, where he had illegally stockpiled munitions. Witnesses said there was a shoot-out at the site.

Witnesses said Honnor, an activist with a Salafist group, was buried in the black flag with religious inscriptions that is the standard of Islamic State insurgents who have swept other parts of the聽Middle East.

Hamas, which promotes political Islam, has mounted occasional crackdowns on more radical groups that chafe at its engagement with Abbas and truces with聽Israel. Such groups support the broader struggle led by Islamic State and al Qaeda.

From its seat in聽Ramallah聽in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Palestinian cabinet deplored what it called Honnor's "execution."

"Hamas聽must respect the law and civil rights," said the cabinet statement, published by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. "It must not mess with the souls of people. It must cease abolishing security and order and stop trespassing on the authorities of the government and the judiciary."

A spokesman for the聽Interior Ministry in Gaza聽said Honnor was a criminal who had booby-trapped his house and that "explosive belts, explosive devices and rifle-propelled grenades were found inside."

A statement posted on a pro-Salafist website disputed the ministry's account. "The聽Hamas聽leadership bears responsibility for this deplorable crime," the statement said.

The聽Gaza-based聽Palestinian Center for Human Rights聽questioned whether聽Hamas聽forces were justified in killing Honnor and urged a public investigation.

That call was echoed by the Palestinian cabinet, which said its attorney general would launch an probe. How that might effected remained unclear, given continues disputes between聽Hamas聽and Abbas over jurisdictions. (Reporting by Nidal Almughrabi; Editing by Tom Heneghan)