GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — On Sept. 16, the US State Department added Hamas leader and former Interior Minister Fathi Hammad to its global terror list. The State Department said in a press release that Hammad engaged in terrorist activities including coordinating terrorist cells as interior minister in the Hamas government and establishing Al-Aqsa TV, which broadcasts children's programs urging them to become armed fighters in the future.
In response, a Palestinian gunman who identified himself as a leader in al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades, the Popular Resistance Committees' military wing, posted a video online on the same day, threatening any American nationals who might enter the Gaza Strip. His statement was quickly denounced across the board.