Hamas upset about new Egyptian policy towards Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
October 3, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement is upset about Egypt's mounting security campaign on the borderline area between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, a well-informed source in Gaza said Tuesday. The source, close to Hamas and speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that the movement watches with anger and disappointment the latest developments along the border.

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International rights group accuses Hamas security forces in Gaza of prisoner abuse
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
October 3, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — An international rights group said Wednesday that Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip commit rampant abuses against Palestinian prisoners, including beatings with metal clubs and rubber hoses, mock executions and arbitrary arrests, and urged the Islamic militant group to swiftly reform its criminal justice system.

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Is This a Palestinian Spring, Or a Coming Third Intifada?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Hayat
by Nassif Hitti - (Analysis) October 3, 2012 - 12:00am

Are we witnessing the harbingers of a “Palestinian Spring” or the first signs of a long-awaited third Palestinian intifada, whose triggers — many observers say — come from the Palestinian issue itself?

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Hamas ministry rejects torture allegations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 3, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The Ministry of Interior in Gaza on Wednesday said it was reviewing a Human Rights Watch report that accused the Hamas security forces of torturing detainees. The Hamas-run ministry says it applauds the role of human rights organizations in protecting rights. "We assure you that our detention centers are open for human rights centers," the ministry said in a statement.

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Gaza Tunnel Demolitions Increase As Hamas Seeks Free Trade Zone
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Ayyam
by Mohannad Abdel Hamid - October 2, 2012 - 12:00am

Egyptian [security] forces continue to demolish tunnels [running between Gaza and the Sinai], following the Rafah attack that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers. An Egyptian security spokesman declared that 31 tunnels have been demolished out of 225. Despite contradictory information on the actual number of tunnels — which ranges from 225 to 1200 — these tunnels play a major role on the political and economic level, regardless of their numbers.

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Prime Minister in Gaza Likely To Become Hamas Leader
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Hayat
by Fathi Sabbah - October 2, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian sources told Al-Hayat that "[the Prime Minister in Gaza] Ismail Haniyeh is likely to be elected as chairman of the executive committee of the Hamas movement in the next few days or weeks, thus succeeding the current head of the movement’s political bureau, Khaled Meshaal.” The sources said that the name of the new chairman of the executive committee will likely remain a secret.

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Hamas corruption weighs heavily on Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Tamir Haddad - (Opinion) October 1, 2012 - 12:00am

Recently, an official of the Finance Ministry in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip announced that since 2006 the office had not received a single report of corruption. Whether or not this is true, the fact is that Hamas corruption is not only pervasive in Gaza, it has also been detrimental to the greater social and economic good.

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PA finance ministry to cut fuel prices from Oct. 1
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 1, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Ministry of Finance announced Sunday that fuel prices are set to be reduced, a statement said. The price cuts, which will be implemented on Oct. 1, will see a liter of diesel reduced from 6.95 shekels ($1.77) to 6.70 ($1.70). A liter of benzene will now cost 7.60 shekels ($1.93), down from 7.98 shekels ($2), and a 12kg canister of domestic-use gas will be reduced to 64 shekels ($16), down from 65.

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Hamas detains radical Salafi leader, 5 aides in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
October 1, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Hamas movement's administration in the Gaza Strip has arrested the leader of a radical al-Qaeda affiliated Islamic Salafi group and five of his aides, the group said in a statement on Monday. The group, called the Army of the Nation (Jaish el-Omma), said in a statement sent to reporters that Hamas police arrested Abu Hafs al-Maqdisi, the group's leader, and five other activists of the group.

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Hamas cracks down on saggy pants
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times of Israel
by Ilan Ben Zion - September 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Hamas is cracking down on a new threat to the well-being of the citizens of the Gaza Strip: low-riding pants. Several Gazan teenagers from Rafah were recently arrested by Hamas police because the clothes they wore were “foreign to Palestinian society, and contradicted the culture, values, and ethical code of the Strip’s residents,” the Hebrew daily Maariv reported on Sunday. The perpetrators had adopted “Western street fashion” and wore pants that rode so low as to show their underpants.

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