Two Hamas Security Officers Killed In Gaza Operation

Hamas is still trying to find the bombers responsible for the bombing last week that killed five Hamas and they have zeroed in on a clan that supports Fatah - unfortunately the Helles clan is fighting back and killed two Hamas security jihadists. Let's look at some of the details here from Reuters:

Islam Shahwan, a Hamas security spokesman, said one officer was killed by an explosive charge and the other was killed by a rocket propelled grenade during fighting in the Shejaia suburb of Gaza City.
Shahwan said Hamas was conducting a campaign to arrest members of the clan who it believes were behind a series of bombings in the territory last week, including one that killed five Hamas members and a girl.
"The Helles family has become a ... military force and members of the family have been attacking, abducting and even killing people. We must put an end to their attacks on innocent citizens," said Ehab al-Ghsain, a spokesman for Hamas's Interior Ministry.

Now, many of you may have seen my post last week where I fingered the blame for the bombing that killed five Hamas on the Salafis - the al Qaeda in Gaza group. And I'm not wavering from that. Hamas is going after this clan because they are an easy target as they do support Fatah and yes, they have a violent history, but I'm not convinced that Hamas doesn't know they have the wrong culprits.

The issue that Hamas may face is if they catch the supposed bombers from this Helles clan and shut down the clan itself...how will they explain the next batch of dead Hamas from a bombing? I might be out here on a limb on this call but I just am not convinced that this little clan just all of a sudden decided to take out Hamas - they're fighting them now because Hamas tried to arrest them all.

Hamas officers killed in Gaza clashes

GAZA (Reuters) - Two Hamas security officers and one member of a rival pro-Fatah clan were killed on Saturday in the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said, in internal violence that could complicate Arab-backed Palestinian reconciliation efforts.
Hospital officials said six Hamas officers and at least 40 other people, including members of the Helles clan, affiliated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction, were wounded in the clashes.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Abbas telephoned Ahmed Helles, a senior member of the clan, to express solidarity. Abbas called Hamas's campaign "unacceptable" and "a blow" to his call for national dialogue.
The recent spike in violence could hamper Egyptian-mediated talks aimed at resolving the internal Palestinian conflict, and the efforts to reunite the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip with the Fatah-dominated West Bank.
Islam Shahwan, a Hamas security spokesman, said one officer was killed by an explosive charge and the other was killed by a rocket propelled grenade during fighting in the Shejaia suburb of Gaza City.
Shahwan said Hamas was conducting a campaign to arrest members of the clan who it believes were behind a series of bombings in the territory last week, including one that killed five Hamas members and a girl.
"The Helles family has become a ... military force and members of the family have been attacking, abducting and even killing people. We must put an end to their attacks on innocent citizens," said Ehab al-Ghsain, a spokesman for Hamas's Interior Ministry.
"All attempts to convince them to hand suspects over have failed," he said, adding that dozens had been arrested during the fighting.
Helles, who also serves as a top Fatah official in Gaza, vowed to press on fighting, and has denied involvement in the bombings.
ARRESTS, KIDNAPPING
Last week's blasts touched off tit-for-tat crackdowns by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Fatah in the West Bank. Hundreds of Palestinians have since been arrested.
On Thursday, Abbas ordered his Fatah-dominated security services to release all pro-Hamas activists in the West Bank. Twenty were released late on Friday but dozens more remained in custody, a senior security source said.
Mohammed Ghazal, a Hamas official who was kidnapped in the West Bank city of Nablus earlier on Saturday by Fatah militants, was freed, a Palestinian official said.
Hamas has said it has released more than half of the hundreds of Fatah activists who are in their custody.