Some Gazans opt for ISIS over Hamas
As ISIS fights its way through Syria and Iraq, some Gazans appear more interested in joining the radical Islamist organization than in fighting Israel, according to a report by American news company Vocativ.
The company, which specializes in collecting information from the web, reported there is an increase in support for Salafists in both the Gaza Strip and in Sinai in recent month, noted both on the ground and on social media.
In June, Salafists held an ISIS support rally in Gaza, a demonstration that was quickly shut down by Hamas' security forces. At the time, Hamas has denied claims ISIS' influence has made its way into the Gaza Strip.
In what is undoubtedly interesting timing, it was reported that ISIS operatives were trying to infiltrate Sinai from the Gaza Strip through the network of smuggling tunnels under the Egyptian border - an attempt thwarted by the Egyptian security forces. The Egyptian army denied the reports at the time, while Hamas surprisingly fell in line with the Egyptian denial, an unusual occurrence since the ouster of Hamas-ally president Mohammad Morsi.
Last week, Hamas worked painstakingly hard to shake off the comparison between ISIS' horrific acts of beheadings and executions to their own spree of executions of "collaborators" with Israel.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4563729,00.html
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