De facto government police in Gaza released on Sunday a group of resistance fighters affiliated with the militant wings of Islamic Jihad and Fatah following a four-hour detention, sources within the movements said.
The release was conditional, sources said, and the men were asked to promise to abstain from any resistance activity in the near future. According to a second source, the group was planning a "qualitative operation" against Israeli forces somewhere in Gaza.
According to Islamic Jihad officials, de facto government security officers asked the resistance fighters to halt resistance activity because of the existence of a "secret ceasefire agreement" between the Gaza government and Israel.
The detention comes amid conflict between Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with the de facto government promising to halt the launch of homemade projectiles temporarily, and Islamic Jihad leaders refusing to give up what they call their right and duty to resist Israel.
Following the arrest of the group, a senior Islamic Jihad leader released a statement condemning the de facto government’s internal security for detaining the men. He said the group was preparing an attack against Israeli forces set to invade Gaza that day.
According to the statement, the group of fighters were held in the de facto government police security headquarters, a building that was evacuated some time ago for fear of continued Israeli shelling. "Leaving our fighters in such a dangerous place puts them in jeopardy," the statement said.
"Resistance fighters were treated indecently as if they were criminal detainees," the Islamic Jihad leader added, calling the treatment unacceptable.
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