Hamas to release al-Qaeda affiliated prisoners
Islamist group scheduled to release 28 followers of Salafi leader Abdul Latif Musa who engaged in bloody battles with Hamas forces two months ago in Strip
Just under two months after Hamas gunmen and members of an al-Qaeda-inspired group clashed in the Gaza Strip, it was reported that Hamas government in Gaza is scheduled to release 28 Salafi detainees on Wednesday. Dozens of Palestinians were killed during the clashes.
On August 14 fights erupted in the Strip between devotees of Salafi leader Abdul Latif Musa and Hamas militants. Hamas forces circled Latif's mosque in Rafah after he declared in a sermon that "The Gaza Strip is an Islamic emirate," and that his followers belong to al-Qaeda and their leader is Osama Bin Laden.
Musa himself was killed during the battles.
Palestinian Ministry of the Interior spokesman Ihab al-Rasin said that the prisoners will be released following the end of investigations and a commitment to maintain stability within the Strip.
"Members of the group were released even after we conducted conversations with them during which they blamed the government of being infidels. The purpose of the release is also to provide relief for the Palestinian society in the Strip," he said.
