http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3888772,00.html Hamas: Egypt tortures Palestinian detainees
Islamist movement known for torturing collaborators accuses southern neighbor of tormenting Palestinian activists, says Palestinian fisherman beaten to death in confrontation with Egyptian navy vessel
News agencies
Published: 05.12.10, 19:09 / Israel News
The ruling Hamas party in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday accused Egypt of torturing Palestinian detainees on its territory, fueling tensions between the Islamist movement and Cairo.
"The Egyptian security services are currently holding 30 members from different Palestinian factions, including 11 from Hamas," Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the movement, told AFP and called on Egypt to release them immediately.
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"Their condition is abysmal. They are subjected to horrific methods of torture. They are electrocuted, hung from their limbs for long periods of time, and beaten," he said.
In another incident, Hamas said a Palestinian fisherman has died after his boat collided with an Egyptian navy vessel on Wednesday.
A Gaza Interior Ministry statement said the Egyptian ship rammed a Gaza fishing boat, flipping it over. The ministry alleges that Egyptian sailors then beat the five fishermen with clubs and pipes.
A Gaza hospital official confirmed that one man died of a head wound. It was unclear if the injury was from the collision or the alleged beating.
An Egyptian security official said the Gaza boat accidentally ran into the Egyptian vessel in Egypt's territorial waters.
Gazan fishermen have been frequently entering Egyptian waters to buy fish, especially ever since Israel placed a blockade on the Strip.
Egypt and Hamas, which was formed as a Palestinian extension of the Muslim Brotherhood – Egypt's largest opposition group – have had strained relations for a long time.
Their main bones of contention revolve around Egypt's unwillingness to open the Rafah border crossing to the Strip and the continuous failure to launch reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah, with Egyptian mediation.
The Associated Press and AFP contributed to this report
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