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Journalists Slam Hamas Crackdown On PFLP Protest

Hamas police officers violently dispersed a PFLP protest against the Israeli strike on Syria last week, targeting journalists covering the rally.

Palestinian supporters of leftist parties take part in a protest against Israeli air strikes close to Damascus, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip May 7, 2013. Israel played down weekend air strikes close to Damascus reported to have killed dozens of Syrian soldiers, saying they were not aimed at influencing its neighbour's civil war but only at stopping Iranian missiles reaching Lebanese Hezbollah militants. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZDWI
Palestinian supporters of leftist parties take part in a protest against Israeli airstrikes close to Damascus, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, May 7, 2013. — REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

On May 7, the Hamas government police forces violently dispersed a rally in protest of Israel’s attacks on Syria. The rally was organized by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Khan Younis, the Gaza Strip. Seven individuals were injured while five other journalists who were covering the rally were attacked, arrested and had their cameras confiscated. The five journalists were later released.

The Ministry of Interior’s media office in Gaza issued an official apology on its Facebook page for the “rough” police behavior on the demonstrators and journalists, pledging to open an investigation into the incident and punish those involved in the crackdown.

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