Fatah says Hamas used civilians as unwilling human shields

The Fatah-oriented Palestine Press Agency has a scathing article about how Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar denies that Hamas attacked Fatah members during Operation Protective Edge.

The newspaper lists the names of 11 Fatah members who were beaten, had bones broken or were shot in the legs.

It also lists 59 Fatah members in Gaza who were placed under house arrest by Hamas.

Fatah also accuses Hamas of confiscating food aid that was shipped in during the war and prioritizing the delivery to its own people as well as Islamic Jihad and unaffiliated Gazans in order to gain support.

In addition, Fatah accuses Hamas of physically enforcing an 11 PM curfew, not allowing cars or even ambulances to travel while under Israeli fire, although Hamas vehicles traveled freely overnights.

Moreover, the newspaper says that Hamas militants opened fire on civilians during the Israeli bombardment and forced them not to leave their homes, according to witnesses.

Ken Roth of Human Rights Watch said repeatedly and wrongly that "human shields' are only considered such when the people are forced to stay in an area that they want to leave. Here we see accusations that Hamas used human shields even according to the narrow definition of HRW. (Why a "human rights" organization tries so hard to minimize human rights culpability for Israel's enemies is anyone's guess.)

But if history is any guide, Roth will do what he can to reduce Hamas' culpability as much as he can, even as he repeats false reports that condemn Israel.