Hamas arrests Gaza peace activists for Zoom chat with Israelis

Rami Aman and others held for ‘establishing normalisation activities ... via the internet’

Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem
Thu 9 Apr 2020 19.28 BST
Last modified on Thu 9 Apr 2020 19.32 BST

Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip have arrested local peace campaigners for treason after they held a Zoom virtual conference with Israeli activists.

Eyad al-Bozom, a spokesperson from the Hamas-run interior ministry, said the prominent Palestinian figure Rami Aman and others had been detained on charges of “establishing normalisation activities with the Israeli occupation via the internet”.

“Any activity or communication with the Israeli occupation under any cover is a crime punishable by law, and a betrayal of our people and their sacrifices,” Bozom said.

The online conference call on Monday lasted for nearly two hours. The participants exchanged details of their daily lives, and talked about the coronavirus pandemic and the difficulties of life under Israeli occupation.

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