Hamas seeks reconciliation with Salafists

The security threats facing the Gaza Strip are many and varied. They range from concerns about Israel waging a new war given the absence of a truce with Hamas to trepidations caused by the soured relationship between Hamas and Egypt to fears engendered by a series of bombings in Gaza during the last two months. Of particular note are the bombings next to the parliament building on April 17 and the twin bombings next to the offices of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East on April 18. No one has claimed responsibility for either bombing.

Meanwhile, ongoing tensions between Hamas and Salafists have recently been manifested in an increase in the number of security checkpoints and arrests of a number of Salafists. A new front opened between the two movements when Salafists issued a statement May 1 demanding that Hamas release their detained colleagues, and Hamas security services raided a Salafist headquarters in central Gaza early in the month.

It is clear that Hamas has opted to employ a carrot-and-stick approach in dealing with the Salafists. Despite arresting a number of them following the recent bombings, Hamas has also held behind-the-scenes consultations and mediations with Salafist leaders in an attempt to halt the deterioration in relations and avoid an armed clash.

At the moment, Hamas finds itself confronted by a number of security and military issues involving the Palestinian Authority (PA), Egypt and Israel. It therefore has every desire to avoid an internal security problem, prompting it to seek reconciliation rather than confrontation with the Salafists. This position was alluded to by Abu al-Ayna al-Ansari, a leader of the Salafist jihadist movement, who said in a May 10 interview with Al-Ayyam newspaper that the coming days would see breakthroughs in the containment of tensions between security agencies and the Salafists to deescalate the situation and prevent direct clashes from erupting.