GAZA CITY — The Hamas regime again suspects the Fatah movement of fomenting unrest in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian sources said Hamas security agencies have intensified monitoring of the opposition Fatah movement amid the fuel crisis in the Gaza Strip. They said the Hamas Interior Ministry suspected that Fatah operatives were trying to exploit the crisis to intensify unrest against the Islamic regime.

“The summons has been issued against about 80 members of Fatah throughout the Gaza Strip so far, but they have been all released on the same day,” the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said.

In a statement on March 27, the human rights group said Hamas’ Internal Security Service was assigned the task of rounding up and investigating the recent unrest sparked by the fuel shortage in the Gaza Strip. The center said Fatah operatives throughout the strip were detained “under humiliating and degrading conditions.”

“They were questioned about their activities as Fatah members in the Gaza Strip and their provocative role against the government in Gaza under the power crisis that emerged over a month ago,” the center said.

Palestinian sources said Hamas has been arresting a range of suspected dissidents. They said this included taxi drivers who complained of the lack of fuel to maintain their vehicles to calls on Facebook for a general strike and tax revolt.

But PCHR said Fatah appeared to be the main target of the Hamas regime. The center said at least one Fatah detainee was tortured and others were stopped at the Rafah terminal on their way to neighboring Egypt.

Hamas has determined that Fatah sought to exploit the fuel crisis in the Gaza Strip. Fatah is said to have discussed the shortage in meetings in mid-March, organized a protest in Gaza City and circulated a memorandum on the crisis.

“These members, who were detained, were forced to sign an oath not to stir up the public opinion and to stop any factional activities,” PCHR said. (Copyright © 2012 East West Services, Inc. 03/30/12)