The self-proclaimed "Supporters of the Islamic State in Jerusalem" on June 2 issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the Hamas administration to halt its crackdown on the group in the Gaza Strip, although it made no explicit threat of action if the deadline is not met. The militants also claimed responsibility for a rocket fired at Israel from Gaza last week. The rocket landed near Gan Yavne in southern Israel, according to Israeli military officials. One "Islamic State" militant has apparently been killed since the ultimatum was issued. A spokesman for the Hamas-run Interior Ministry identified the man only as a 'lawbreaker," and said he was shot dead after firing at security officers who came to arrest him. Over 100 alleged ISIS supporters have been arrested by Hamas security forces since the crackdown began a month ago, according to Israel Radio. (JP, IBT, i24 News, June 2)
ISIS in Gaza: Fatah subterfuge?
Hamas claimed on June 10 that the Palestinian Authority is responsible for the wave of attack in Gaza in recent weeks, previously attributed local Salafis who support ISIS. The Hamas Interior Ministry said at a midday press conference that it arrested a number of people involved in the alleged conspiracy. It presented a film purporting to be the confession of a man named Naim Abu Ful, who purportedly had tried to detonate a car bomb in a Gaza marketplace under direct orders of officials in Ramallah. Especially named was Sami Nasman, a senior security official in Ramallah. It was further alleged that Mahmoud el-Habash, an associate of President Mahmoud Abbas, was personally involved in ordering the bombings. (YNet)
Tensions between Hamas and the Fatah administration in Ramallah were jacked up after Saudi Arabia began its military intervention in Yemen in late March. President Abbas made comments at an Arab League summit in Cairo that appeared to call for similar military action against Hamas in Gaza. (Al Monitor, April 2; EI, March 30)