Hamas-run security forces have arrested several peace activists in the Gaza Strip on treason charges after they took part in a web conference with Israeli activists, officials said Thursday.
"Holding any activity or contact with the Israeli occupation under any cover is a crime punishable by law and is a betrayal for the [Palestinian] people and their sacrifice," the Hamas Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Hamas, which seized Gaza from rival Palestinian forces in a coup in 2007, does not recognize Israel and has carried out scores of attacks against Israelis over the last few decades. Israel, the US, and the EU have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Hamas has nevertheless been holding indirect talks with Israel through Egyptian, Qatari and UN mediators for months. The negotiations are aimed at easing an Israeli and Egyptian blockade imposed on Gaza after Hamas took power in exchange for calm along the frontier.
The activists held a nearly two-hour meeting on Monday over Zoom, an online conferencing service, discussing issues of common interest, including the coronavirus pandemic.
The meeting was advertised on a Facebook event page and a recording was posted online by Israeli participants, prompting an outpouring of Palestinian incitement against the Gaza activists on social media.
The family of Rami Aman, the main organizer, said he answered a summons from the security service early Thursday and that they have not heard from him since.
Aman describes himself as a freelance journalist and member of a group called The Gaza Youth Committee on his Facebook page. The meeting for which he was arrested appears to have been organized by Israeli peace activists, who could not be reached for comment.
An invitation link to a Zoom conference entitled "Meet Gazan Activists" was posted on a Facebook event page that has since expired. It read: "Finally, an opportunity to speak with Gazans who not only do not hate us but are working tirelessly to open channel of communication between Gazans and Israelis."
It also named Rami Aman and his group as participants.
Coronavirus lockdowns have driven a surge in the usage of Zoom in recent weeks because it is free, and users are attracted by its ease of use. But concerns have grown over its lack of end-to-end encryption of meeting sessions, routing of traffic through China and "zoombombing," when uninvited guests crash meetings.
The incident triggered angry comments on social media by Palestinians in Gaza, with many praising Aman's arrest.
"The relationship with the Zionist occupation is only a continuing fight until it is forced out of all Palestinian lands," spokesman Hazem Qassem said.
