Fatah holds massive rally in Gaza soccer stadium

Tens of thousands of Fatah supporters packed Gaza's main soccer stadium on Sunday in a massive show of strength to boost the movement in its increasingly violent struggle against Hamas.

Tens of thousands of Fatah supporters packed Gaza’s main soccer stadium on Sunday in a massive show of strength to boost the movement in its increasingly violent struggle against Hamas.

Fatah’s strongman in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, was given a hero’s welcome as he entered the stadium. As he began speaking he shooed away the security guards protecting him. “Let Hamas shoot me,” he said as the crowd erupted in applause. Fatah gunmen fired in the air during his speech.

The demonstration came as masked Fatah gunmen released a video of a kidnapped Hamas official, threatening to expand attacks against Hamas if it rejects calls to disband its militia in the Gaza Strip. The video, reminiscent of scenes in Iraq, marked a new tactic in the latest spate of Palestinian factional violence.

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Braving cold, rainy weather, the stadium demonstration marked the 42nd anniversary of the founding of Fatah by the late Yasser Arafat. The gathering was the largest Fatah demonstration in Gaza since 1994. In his fiery speech, Dahlan derided the Hamas militia as “a gang”, and called Hamas’ deadly assault on the home of a Fatah security commander a “turning point”.

Tensions heightened on Saturday after President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah outlawed Hamas’ so-called Executive Force, its main military unit in Gaza. Hamas responded by saying it would double the size of the force to 12,000 fighters and resist any attempts to disarm it.

In the video, Mahdi al-Khamdali, the deputy mayor of Nablus and a Hamas official, standing in a jacket and tie, was surrounded by masked militants in army jackets.

One of the men read a statement from a folded white sheet of paper, identifying the gunmen as Fatah members. He threatens new attacks against Hamas, but stops short of threatening to kill the politician. The captors mentioned the Hamas force, threatening attacks on Hamas targets in the West Bank.

–IBRAHIM BARZAK