Hamas Mulls İts Options As Daesh Support Grows: Analysts

Palestinian faction Hamas is concerned about the presence of support for Daesh in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian thinkers and analysts argue.



They say Hamas will have to either fight or engage in dialogue with Gaza residents who support the radical group that has overrun vast territories in both Iraq and Syria.



Earlier this month, a group calling itself "Supporters of the Islamic State" issued a statement in which it declared support for Daesh.



The group also accused the Gaza Interior Ministry of arresting some of its members and called for their release in a threatening tone.



The Interior Ministry responded, however, by denying the arrest of any group members.



Adnan Abu Amer, a political science professor at Gaza's Al-Ummah University, referred to "legitimate fears" for the security situation in Gaza.



"Hamas may resort to the security option in dealing with Daesh supporters," Abu Amer said.



"It will likely prefer it to any other option," he told The Anadolu Agency.



He said Hamas could have engaged in dialogue with the group, noting that a recent spate of bombings in Gaza had ruled out this dialogue and forced the Palestinian faction to use force to put the lid on Daesh expansion in the Gaza Strip.



Six blasts occurred in different parts of the Gaza Strip since the beginning of April, according to Al-Mezan Center For Human Rights.



The center said the blasts did not cause any human casualties.



Abu Amer, meanwhile, believes that Hamas will not allow Daesh to promote its ideology in the Gaza Strip.



There is not an accurate estimate of the amount of support Daesh enjoys in the Gaza Strip.



Gaza's Interior Ministry also denies the presence of the radical group in the coastal Palestinian enclave.



The ministry says the presence of some radical people is normal for any society.



In January, around 200 of Gaza's Daesh supporters staged a march on some streets to denounce offensive cartoons of Islam's prophet Muhammad in satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo.



In their first public appearance, Daesh supporters raised the group's black flags and paid tribute to Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.



At the time, the Interior Ministry said freedom of speech was guaranteed as long as it was practiced within the law.



Nevertheless, Hamas believes that security is the most viable option for dealing with Daesh support in the Gaza Strip, according to Abdel-Sattar Qassim, a political science professor at Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank.



"Throughout its rule of the Gaza Strip, Hamas never allowed the expansion of Salafist groups," Qassim said.



"It will do the same with Daesh because it is well aware of the threat it could be exposed to if Daesh support grew in Gaza," he told AA.



But this option could backfire, according to political analyst Mustafa Ibrahim.



He said applying a heavy-handed security option in this case could lead to increasing support for Daesh even more.



"Some issues require a security solution and anyone who breaks the law must be held accountable," Ibrahim said.



"Combating extremism requires, however, dealing with the root causes of the phenomenon, whether they are legal or social," he added.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Gazze