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Hamas militants seize Fatah official visiting Gaza home

Hamas gunmen on Friday burst into the home of a top Fatah official in Gaza and arrested him, relatives said. Meanwhile, US officials said Washington would pledge about US$500 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Omar al-Ghoul was the most senior Fatah politician to be detained since Hamas forces overtook the territory in June.

Arrested by Hamas for "illegal activities," al-Ghoul had been spending much of his time in the West Bank after Hamas seized control of Gaza in June.

He arrived in Gaza on Thursday to attend his mother-in-law's funeral.

Al-Ghoul is an adviser to Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, whose West Bank government was formed after Hamas' Gaza takeover.

HARSH CRITIC

At around 4am on Friday, armed gunmen in civilian clothes burst into al-Ghoul's Gaza home, ransacking it and seizing the official, his relatives said.

His wife, Shifa al-Ghoul, said the gunmen threatened to blow open the door before the family let them in. After 10 gunmen took her husband way, another group searched the home for two hours, she said. The forces confiscated two computers and other personal belongings and abused her verbally before leaving, she said.

"We still don't know where he is," she said. "They treated me in a barbaric way ... and threatened me with guns a few times."

Al-Ghoul is considered a harsh critic of Hamas and frequently attacks fundamentalists in his newspaper column.

The information minister of the West Bank government, Riad Malki, called the arrest "barbaric," saying it was part of Hamas' attempt to "extort" his government.

Al-Ghoul's family and supporters later held a protest outside the family home to demand his release.

DONORS CONFERENCE

Meanwhile, the US will pledge between US$500 million and US$600 million in aid to the Palestinians at a donors conference in Paris, two US officials said on Friday.

The officials asked not to be named because the figure has not been announced.

The money, which is to be announced tomorrow at the conference hosted by France, aims to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas against Hamas as he embarks on the first Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in seven years.
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