Fatah movement accused Hamas of attempting to assassinate its official in the Gaza Strip, Atef Abu Seif, who is reported to be in serious condition after being attacked by unidentified gunmen.
Abu Seif was reportedly kidnapped near his home in Bet Lahia on Monday afternoon, Fatah officials said, adding that the gunmen who kidnapped the spokesman broke his arms and legs.
Fatah strongly condemned the assault on Abu Seif and Hamas’s repressive measures against the protesters against economic hardship. The statement accused Hamas policemen of being behind the “assassination attempt” targeting the Fatah spokesman.
Adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Maamoun Sweidan indicated that Abu Seif is in serious condition and undergoing various medical testing and imaging to ensure no permanent injury had damaged his brain or the rest of his body.
Sweidan held Hamas responsible for the assault, accusing Hamas of “tampering with the social fabric in the Gaza Strip and the future of national unity.”
Hamas denied the accusation and pledged to investigate the attack.
Hamas militia seized Abu Seif’s vehicle and cellular devices, Wafa news agency quoted eye witnesses.
Media official in Fatah Mounir al-Jagoub asserted that his movement will respond to Hamas’ aggression, adding that Hamas must know that harming children, women, the elderly and infants and the policy of cracking down on the Palestinians is an Israeli policy.
Abu Seif was born in Jabalya refugee camp in 1973 to a family that migrated from Jaffa. He received a BA from Birzeit University, a Masters from Bradford University in England and a PhD from the University of Florence in Italy. He is a writer and novelist who has won several awards in literature.
