Hamas members at Abbas' home during Gaza takeover
Photo: AP
Mohammed Dahlan
Photo: AP
Investigators say 60 Palestinian officers to be tried for letting Gaza fall to Hamas
After hearing 120 hours of testimony, official committee of inquiry says 60 members of Abbas’ security forces should be court-martialed for failing to prevent Hamas takeover of Gaza
Sixty members of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' security forces in Gaza should be court-martialed for their failure to prevent a Hamas takeover there last month, an official committee of inquiry concluded Thursday.
The final report is to be made public Friday.
Earlier Thursday, Mohammed Dahlan, a leader of Abbas' vanquished forces in Gaza, announced that he is resigning as national security adviser. Dahlan cited health reasons, but Palestinian government officials said Abbas asked him to step down because the committee of inquiry concluded Dahlan bore much of the responsibility for the humiliating defeat of the pro-Abbas forces by Hamas in mid-June.
Dahlan's office denied he was asked to resign, and said he stepped down for medical reasons only.
It was not clear whether Dahlan is among those to face trial in a military court.
The committee was headed by a senior Abbas aide, Tayeb Abdel Rahim. Investigators heard 120 hours of testimony, including from Dahlan and other senior security commanders.
Another Abbas aide, Rafiq Husseini, confirmed that the committee recommended that 60 members of the security forces stand trial in military court. He said the investigation found flaws in the performance of Abbas' troops. Among the 60 facing trial in a military court are officers of various ranks, he said.
Abbas has already dismissed or accepted the resignation of more than a dozen Gaza security officers.
