Hamas Holds Dozens Of Fatah-linked Clan, Dozens More Exiled In West Bank

Well, Hamas is saying they have finally uprooted the last of the Fatah-linked clan in Gaza and are still holding dozens of the Hilles clan, while those from Hilles that had fled to Israel for sanctuary are now exiled in the West Bank. Here's some details from Breitbart:

Hamas claimed Monday to have "uprooted" the last major pocket of armed resistance to its 14-month rule in the Gaza Strip, saying it seized mortars, grenade launchers and other weapons from a once powerful clan allied with the rival Fatah movement.
Dozens of members of the Hilles clan were being held by the Islamic militants of Hamas, while dozens more who fled to Israel to avoid capture during weekend fighting were given asylum Monday in the Fatah-ruled West Bank.

So, I have a question. If this Hilles clan was such a threat to Hamas, then why did Hamas wait 14 months to take these guys out? It took Hamas all of two days to get these guys under wraps, so why did they wait so long? Something isn't adding up and I still say that this clan is a convenience to blame the recent attacks on Hamas on (when the real attackers were Al Qaeda in Gaza).

Now, this is one of those situations in Gaza where you don't pick sides - the best outcome would have been for every one of these Hilles morons to get offed along with all of the Hamas but just to further prove the mentality, the lowest level of humanity that palestinians exude, look at this paragraph from the article:

In a small sign of defiance, Hilles families sent children outdoors wrapped in bright yellow Fatah flags, saying they hoped the sight would annoy Hamas fighters patrolling the neighborhood on foot and in pickup trucks.

Now isn't that a sign of a bunch of folks worthy of billions of dollars of Western aid? Isn't that the mentality of a bunch of poor oppressed people down trodden by the evil Israelis? They fucking sent their children out into a battlefield to piss off the enemy!! I'm almost beyond words.

Anyway, now that the dust has settled, the article claims this is a big set back for Fatah's leader Abbas. Big deal. What loss? So Abbas had some supporters in Gaza that Hamas was either too stupid or too lazy to gut out of their land...I gotta believe Abbas wrote this clan off months and months ago.

Gaza clansmen exiled as Hamas grabs Fatah bastion

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Hamas claimed Monday to have "uprooted" the last major pocket of armed resistance to its 14-month rule in the Gaza Strip, saying it seized mortars, grenade launchers and other weapons from a once powerful clan allied with the rival Fatah movement.
Dozens of members of the Hilles clan were being held by the Islamic militants of Hamas, while dozens more who fled to Israel to avoid capture during weekend fighting were given asylum Monday in the Fatah-ruled West Bank.
In a small sign of defiance, Hilles families sent children outdoors wrapped in bright yellow Fatah flags, saying they hoped the sight would annoy Hamas fighters patrolling the neighborhood on foot and in pickup trucks.
Saturday's attack on the Hilles stronghold in Gaza City's Shijaiyeh neighborhood, which killed 11 people and wounded dozens, marked a fresh setback for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the head of Fatah.
Abbas' leadership in the West Bank already was weakened by his failure to win concessions from Israel in peace talks. The defeat of the Hilles clan, one of Fatah's last high-profile bastions in Gaza, underscored Hamas' tight control in the coastal territory seized by its fighters in bloody fighting last year.
Abbas still has a base of support in Gaza, including tens of thousands who draw government salaries from the West Bank, but the movement has been stripped of offices, media outlets and, most importantly, its armed forces.
Islam Shahwan, spokesman for Hamas police, said in an interview that the weekend raid—the bloodiest Hamas-Fatah fighting since the Gaza takeover—sent a "clear message to all concerned."
"We do believe this was the last stronghold in Gaza," he said, referring to potential Hamas opponents among the territory's myriad clans. "This stronghold had to be uprooted."
Shahwan said that more than 100 Hilles men had been detained and that Hamas forces seized a large weapons stockpile, including mortars, assault rifles, land mines and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
The Hilles clan, native to Gaza and one of the largest in the territory, has thousands of members. About 4,000 live in the Shijaiyeh area, close to Israel's heavily guarded border with Gaza.
More than 180 clansmen ran toward Israeli positions Saturday afternoon when it became clear Hamas was about to take control of the neighborhood. After some delays, in part because of Hamas fire toward the border, Israel let in the fugitives, including wounded men.
A two-day odyssey ensued, with Abbas wavering whether he should allow the refugees to settle in the West Bank. He ruled out the idea Sunday, arguing Fatah needed to maintain a presence in Gaza and could not abandon the territory to Hamas.
More than 30 Hilles men were sent back to Gaza, and Hamas immediately arrested about half of them. Fearing Hamas retribution, a dozen in that group—still wearing the dark blue coveralls given them by Israeli troops—stayed in an Israeli-controlled buffer zone just inside Gaza.
The Israeli army then decided those returning to Gaza would face imminent danger and said Hilles men should not be sent back against their will.
In the end, 92 Hilles men, including the 12 who waited at the border, were taken to the West Bank town of Jericho on Monday. Sixty others went back to Gaza voluntarily, 16 remained in Israeli hospitals and 13 were in Israeli custody, the Israeli military said.