Hamas arrests two 'Salafists' for firing rockets at Israel

The Islamic Hamas movement in Gaza arrested on Sunday two allegedly Salafist men over involving in firing rockets from the besieged coastal enclave into Israeli cities a few days ago, security sources said. 

Speaking to The New Arab, a security source close to the Hamas government who preferred to be unnamed, said that "two detainees, who are from Beit Hanoun town in the north of Gaza, fired the missiles without permission from the Palestinian factions."

"Such unresponsible action gives the Israeli occupation an excuse to attack Gaza," the source added, explaining that the armed factions in Gaza are committed to maintaining their coordination before responding to Israel over its "aggression against our people in West Bank and the coastal enclave." 

On Thursday night, four rockets were fired from Gaza, three of which did not reach Israeli territory, while the Iron Dome defence system intercepted the fourth rocket. However, none of the Palestinian factions claimed responsibility for the fire. 

It was the first batch of rockets launched from the Strip since Israel's three-day war against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Gaza in August.

As a result, the Israeli warplanes carried out several strikes against military sites belonging to Hamas, citing that it rules the coastal enclave and holds full responsibility for any possible rocket attack, according to Avichai Adrea, the spokesman of the Israeli army. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli authorities arrested a Rafah-based man while he was passing through the Erez checkpoint in the northern Gaza Strip to receive treatment in the occupied West Bank. 

"Mohammed Abu Namous, 32, was arrested by the Israeli occupation without providing any reasons," Abdul Nasser Firwana, a senior official of the Commission of Detainees' Affairs, said to  TNA. 

Firwana added that since the beginning of this year, Israel arrested five Gazans who were passing through the Erez checkpoint.

"Israel often used the checkpoint as a means of pressure and bargaining the Gazans, and sometimes for blackmail," he explained. 

In turn, he stressed, Israel still prevents thousands of Palestinians in Gaza from passing the checkpoint towards the West Bank, Jerusalem, the territories occupied by Israel in 1948, or to Jordan for trade, work, medical treatment, or visiting relatives under the pretext of safety prevention.