By Aryeh Savir
JERUSALEM (TNA) –A disagreement about targeting the Hamas leaders broke out Tuesday night, July 29, during the Security Cabinet meeting, according to a report by Yisrael Hayom. Minister of Finance Yair Lapid demanded that the Hamas leaders, including Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyeh who are in Qatar, be targeted as part of the efforts to hit Hamas as hard as possible; PM Netanyahu reportedly refused. Lapid was supported by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Minister of Economy Naftali Bennet. The explanation given for Netanyahu’s declining this course of action was that it “enables Israel further international maneuverability.”
Hamas leaders’ homes were bombed by the IAF, but only when it was clear that they were not there. Former Hamas head Haniyeh’s home was hit on Monday, July 28. Commenting on this attack, Major-General (res.) Giora Eiland said attacking Haniyeh’s home is not important, “he couldn’t care less” said Eiland. Haniyeh himself said: “My home is no more precious than the homes of the Palestinian people. The destruction of rocks will not weaken our will and we will continue to resist until freedom is achieved.”
Hamas leaders have been hiding since the beginning of Operation ‘Protective Edge’ underground, in hospitals and at other locations which cannot be targeted without exacting a heavy civilian toll.
Meanwhile, Hamas has executed scores of Gazan civilians over the past few days, according to several separate reports.
Yisrael Hayom quotes Arab news sources that report that Hamas has executed some 30 Gazan civilians for allegedly collaborating with Israel. Human rights groups report that some were executed after being caught ‘red handed’ while marking targets for the Israeli Air Force. All the alleged collaborators were summarily executed without trial.
A separate report by several new sources describes protesters in Beit Hanun who were shot in the street by Hamas on Sunday for demonstrating against Hamas’ leadership and the destruction caused to the Gaza Strip. They blamed Hamas for the calamity which has befallen the civilians of the Gaza Strip. Some 20 protesters were rounded up and shot in front of a crowd.
Hamas has previously been harshly condemned by the international community after being accused by local Gazans of summary executions of alleged collaborators who were shot on the basis of mere rumors or who confessed after being horribly tortured and were shot.
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Savir is a staff writer for the Tazpit News Agency in Israel