Security forces of the Islamist Hamas movement today freed 50 detainees belonging to Palestinian Islamist radical groups, a month after 28 people were killed in internal violence in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh described the release as an attempt to "spread tolerance" in the territory on the occasion of the Muslim festival of Eid el-Fitr early next week.
Last month, Hamas forces attacked a mosque and killed some 20 members of the al-Qaeda-aligned Jund Ansar Allah, or Warriors of God. A leader of that group had defied Hamas rulers by declaring an Islamic emirate.
A senior figure among the radicals told Reuters in an interview this week that Hamas security forces were holding 500 of their supporters in its Gaza jails.
The Hamas-run Interior Ministry has disputed the figure. It said 100 radicals were still in custody following the release today.
Reuters