The Iran-backed Palestinian group Hamas, a designated terrorist entity that controls the Gaza Strip and remains publicly committed to Israel’s destruction, is being criticized by rights groups for abuses against protesters, journalists, and supporters of rival Palestinian factions. Last week Hamas security officials arrested and interrogated two journalists who were seeking to leave the Gaza Strip for a media conference. The journalists were reportedly questioned about their political affiliation, causing analysts to link the detainment to a broader Hamas crackdown on sympathizers of Hamas’s rival Fatah. Meanwhile the Hamas government was forced to apologize Tuesday after revelations that their security officials attacked female activists calling for reconciliation between Palestinian factions.

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