Hamas and the Water Park

A photo and short video of Gaza's "Crazy Water Park" before Hamas shut it down...it was burned to the ground by seemingly mysterious gunmen

Gaza water park burned down after shut down by Hamas -Khaled Aub Toameh

Unidentified gunmen set fire to Crazy Water Park, one of the Gaza Strip's most popular entertainment sites.

Eyewitnesses said that at least 25 assailants participated in the pre-dawn attack. The gunmen beat the two night watchmen, bound their hands and confiscated their mobile phones before setting the complex on fire, they said.

Manager Ala al-A'raj said that the water park was closed down by Hamas two weeks ago. He said that no one was injured in the attack, which destroyed the resort completely.

Last week the Hamas government ordered the closure of Crazy Water Park for three weeks under the pretext that the place did not have a proper license.

Last month Hamas policemen raided the resort and expelled dozens of men and women who had gathered for a fast-breaking meal during Ramadan. The owner of the site was summoned for questioning and warned not to hold events where men and women sit together.

Sources in the Gaza Strip said that Hamas has been targeting the water park because the owners violated an order banning women from smoking the nargila in public places. Last week the Hamas authorities closed down the Sama sea-side restaurant in Gaza City where a woman was seen smoking the nargila.

Human rights activists said that Hamas has recently stepped up its efforts to impose strict Islamic teachings in the Gaza Strip.
[Jerusalem Post]
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UPDATE:


Gaza's Police Force: Between Hamas and a Hard Place -Abigail Hauslohner

When Gazans speak positively of Hamas, they tend to focus on how well run street security is. When Hamas' rival Fatah dominated the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, chaos ruled the streets. But many Gazans also say the changes since 2007 on the streets have come at a price. "The police now are stronger and more violent," says Ramy Mansour, a tailor. Mansour's ire is focused on the largely plainclothes division known as Internal Security. "The fear is based on the long period that you could potentially be detained - and the torture," explains Abu Anas, a minibus driver.

And there is a third security force that Gazans fear: Hamas' highly secretive Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades. Referring to both the uniformed police and the plainclothes Internal Security, one civilian says, "They're all Qassam." Interior Ministry spokesman Ehab al-Ghossain confirms, "Many of the Qassam operate within both the Qassam brigades and the Internal Security."
(Time)
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