HAMAS THREATENS TO KILL THOUSANDS--OF PALESTINIANS. Hamas has discovered that it is as easy to kill Palestinians as it is to kill Jews. From the Jerusalem Post:

Hamas's threat to open fire at throngs of Palestinians stranded in Egypt has thwarted Israeli plans to open the Kerem Shalom crossing to southern Gaza on Wednesday to let the travelers return to their homes, defense officials told The Jerusalem Post.

According to the officials, 6,000 Palestinians have been marooned on the Egyptian side of Rafah since Hamas's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip three weeks ago and the closure of the Rafah crossing into Egypt...

In an effort to allow the stranded Palestinians to return home, the IDF recently offered to Egypt to open the Kerem Shalom crossing - which connects Israel, Gaza and Egypt - to pedestrian travel. Egypt contacted Hamas and, according to Israeli officials, was told that if Kerem Shalom was opened they would attack the crossing with mortars and gunfire, even at the price of killing thousands of Palestinians.

Good to know that under Hamas control, law and order has returned to Gaza!
Or is this just the first step towards establishing Islamic law?

Meanwhile, at a Hamas summer camp near you:

Some Palestinian parents in the Gaza Strip are up in arms over Hamas summer camps which are being used to train children on the use of weapons and other military equipment.

The families on Tuesday also accused Hamas of inciting their children against Israel and Fatah.

Now that Hamas has brainwashing their children down to a science, it appears that they are broadening their approach. It's not clear how much of the Jerusalem Post report is relying on the Fatah-affiliated Palestine Press Agency, but they are about as reliable a source as Hamas.

The Hamas supervisors are also giving lectures to the children accusing Fatah of collaboration with Israel and betraying the Palestinians. They are also quoting phrases from the Quran that encourage the children to kill the 'traitors.'"

The children are recruited through advertisements in mosques that only promise to teach children about Islam.

A statement issued by Fatah accused Hamas of "kidnapping" and "brainwashing" the children.

"Hamas is helping create a culture of hatred and vengeance," the statement charged. "They are killing the innocence of children by forcing them to undergo military training and teaching them hatred. They want to use these children to fight their own people in the future.

Hamas is brainwashing children and creating a culture of hatred?
I guess they go with what works.

UPDATE: From Haaretz:

Palestinian civil servants said they came under gunfire from a Hamas-led force as they tried to report for work on Thursday, which Hamas has decreed a day off.

Dozens of employees arrived at their offices in Gaza to find entrance doors chained and Hamas's Executive Force threatening to arrest them, witnesses said.

...Islam Shahwan, spokesman of the Executive Force, said: "Perhaps one or two shots were fired, but there were no orders at all (to start shooting).

Just your typical terrorist democracy.

[Hat tip: Discarded Lies]

Technorati Tag: Hamas and Gaza.