Hamas releases 17 Fatah members as goodwill gesture
“In order to provide a healthy atmosphere for the dialogue, we decided to free all political prisoners in our custody in Gaza,” said Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh during a graduation ceremony for police recruits.
He put the number of those prisoners at “nearly 20”. Fatah, which lost control of the Gaza Strip to Hamas in fighting in June 2007, has said dozens of its members have been jailed since the Islamist group’s takeover of the territory.
