A Gaza-based human rights group on Thursday showed its concern about the "crackdown against activistsfrom the Fatah party who were detained, beaten and verbally abusedby the Hamas-run security forces."

Al-Dameer Organization for Human Rights declared that "these attacks belong to the issue of political revenge; especially the (Hamas-run) internal security agency is turning to halt the political and public activities of Fatah party."

The group called on the Gaza-based government to halt these arrests immediately because they are illegal.

According to the information documented by Al-Dameer, the internal security agency started, on Tuesday, a wide detention campaign against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah partymembers, particularly in the north and south of the enclave.

Released detainees have testified that they were "beaten and verbally abused; additionally, they were directly ordered not to take part in any of their political activities." The security agency also withheld the identity cards of the detainees.

The crackdown in Gaza resumed in response to an attack against Hamas lawmaker Hamed al-Bittawi in West Bank. Hamas accused Fatah of trying to assassinate the lawmaker in Nablus when a member of the Fatah-run security services opened fire at him, slightly wounding him in the leg.