The deposed Hamas government in Gaza is setting up a new intelligence service in the Gaza Strip, according to a report in the London-based A-Sharq Al-Awsat.
The establishment of a new security force is part of the ongoing rivalry between Fatah and Hamas after the latter took over the Gaza Strip last June.
Ihab Al-Gha’sin, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry of Hamas’ government in Gaza, told the paper the new force would start operating within the next few weeks and that it would be dedicated to maintaining security in Gaza.
The new force, called the Interior Security Force, will be deployed throughout the Gaza Strip. Its expansion to the West Bank depends on any future agreement in the internal dialogue, Al-Gha’sin said.
Hamas is recruiting thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to man its new security forces, according to the Israeli news portal, Ynet.
The forces will be comprised of new recruits and of members of organizations affiliated with Hamas. Sources within the organization said the new forces would operate separately from what is referred to as Hamas’ military wing.
Recent reports suggest that Jordanian-based Badr Forces, which receive salaries from the Palestine Liberation Forces, would be deployed in the West Bank in order to bolster Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas and his caretaker government.