GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Ministry of Interior in the Gaza Strip ushered in the new year by launching what many view as a war on political satire, sending a warning with the Jan. 3 arrests of Ayman al-Aloul and Ramzi Harzallah. In December, parties in government close to Hamas had filed complaints with the public prosecutor against them because of their activities online.

Aloul’s son, Omar, told Al-Monitor, “A military jeep and two Hyundai cars stopped in front of the house, in the Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City. Several individuals got out of the vehicles and introduced themselves as members of the internal security apparatus. They asked my father to step out of the house, without letting him change, so my grandmother wrapped him with a fleece robe.” Omar added, “They asked for all the laptops we had in the house, and one of them told my grandmother that her son is too comfortable expressing his opinions on Facebook.”

On Jan. 3, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights posted notice of Harzallah's arrest on its website. It read, “Individuals who introduced themselves as members of the internal security apparatus arrested Harzallah, a political activist from al-Wahda Street in central Gaza City. They confiscated his laptop and cell phone and took him to an unknown destination.”

Khalil Shaheen, manager of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Unit of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, told Al-Monitor that summoning satirical writers for expressing criticisms is a violation of freedom of expression.