IS threatens to uproot Hamas and impose Sharia in Gaza
Beirut (AsiaNews) – The Islamic State (IS) group is threatening to impose Sharia (Islamic law) in Gaza and to uproot Israel and Fatah.
In a 16-minute video shared by IS-friendly social media accounts, fighters based in Syria's Aleppo province condemned Hamas for its crackdown on Salafist groups in the Gaza Strip, and its failure to implement a rigid interpretation of Islamic law.
"Eight years they control the territory, and have yet to enforce one Islamic teaching," an IS speaker said in the video message addressed to the "tyrants of Hamas".
"We will uproot the state of the Jews (Israel) and you and Fatah, and all of the secularists are nothing and you will be over-run by our creeping multitudes," said a masked IS member.
"The rule of sharia will be implemented in Gaza, in spite of you. We swear that what is happening in the Levant today, and in particular the Yarmouk camp, will happen in Gaza," he added.
The fighter later refers to IS's seizure of parts of the Yarmouk refugee camp in the Syrian capital of Damascus after clashes with Palestinian groups.
"The point of jihad is not to liberate land . . . but jihad as defined by God, is fighting for and implementing the law of God," said a masked fighter who appeared in the video, who further condemned Hamas for its dealings with Iran and Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah, as well as "nationalist", "secularist", and "communist" factions.
"The road to liberate Palestine goes through Iraq and we (IS) are getting closer, day by day . . . while they (Hamas) are moving away from that goal."
Another fighter condemned the Palestinian faction for referring to IS and its supporters as ‘khawarij’, a term used to refer to a group of Muslims in early Islamic history, meaning "those who have transgressed".
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