The Hamas terror group has long operated a secret police force in the Gaza Strip to spy on Palestinian civilians in order to crush any opposition to the group’s hardline rule over the territory.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has for years overseen the secret force, according to a trove of internal documents first reviewed and reported on by The New York Times.
While Mr. Sinwar and other Hamas leaders publicly claim to represent all Palestinians living in Gaza, the documents illustrate how the terror group has zero tolerance for dissent. The New Times also cited interviews with intelligence officials, who spoke anonymously about how the Hamas secret police force built files on young Palestinians, as well as journalists and anyone else in Gaza who questioned the group’s control over Gaza.
The secret police force, known as the General Security Service, relied on a network of Gaza informants through a system that sometimes involved people reporting the activities of their own neighbors.
Common Palestinians have been profiled in security files for attending protests or publicly criticizing Hamas. But the records suggest that in some cases, the secret police force also followed people to determine if they were carrying on romantic relationships outside of marriage.