[Ynet News] Ronny Shaked - A war is being waged between Hamas and Fatah. Hamas embarked on this war with some 10,000 fighters - 6,000 from the Executive Police Force founded by the Hamas government and 4,000 armed members of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The force has been training for the past two years and is ready for battle. They are equipped with Kalashnikov rifles, sniper rifles, communications devices, flack jackets, night vision equipment, hand grenades, RPGs, and almost limitless munitions. Fatah and Abbas loyalists total some 60,000 gunmen, the majority of whom lack any formal military training and suffer from a lack of munitions and logistic means. In the last few days of fighting Hamas dispatched 100% of its forces, while Fatah dispatched no more than 10% of its combatants. The majority of fatalities over the weekend came from Fatah. Hamas is fighting passionately backed by religious edicts that define Fatah members as heretics and justify the killing of Muslims. Fatah members, on the other hand, regard themselves as true Muslims and view Hamas as a group that detached itself from the Islamic community.
2007-02-05 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive