GAZA CITY, 8 September 2005 — Scores of masked gunmen dragged former Palestinian security chief Moussa Arafat from his Gaza home and shot him dead in the street yesterday after battling his guards for more than half an hour.
Arafat’s oldest son, Manhal, a senior security commander, was kidnapped by the gunmen. Officials said late yesterday that negotiations, brokered by Egyptian security officials, were under way to secure his release.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas vowed to hunt down the killers of Arafat whose gangland-style slaying laid bare Gaza’s raging power struggles just days before the Palestinians are to assume control of the coastal territory.
In a brazen challenge to Abbas, a shadowy militant group publicly claimed responsibility for killing Arafat, cousin of the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, in a hail of gunfire.
The Popular Resistance Committees, a group made up largely of disaffected Fatah members, claimed responsibility for the killing. The group said it killed Arafat, a prominent Fatah member, to punish him for alleged corruption after the Palestinian security forces had taken no action against him.
“We have implemented God’s law,” said a spokesman, Mohammed Abdel Al, adding that Arafat “was responsible for killing, stealing and blackmail.” He said his group would resist arrest or any attempt to be disarmed.
Adding to the tension, the Israeli military said the vital Rafah crossing point between Gaza and Egypt would be closed today until further notice as part of Israel’s Gaza pullout, which could be completed as early as Monday.
About 100 masked militants stormed Arafat’s heavily guarded home in an upscale Gaza City neighborhood early yesterday, sparking a gunbattle with dozens of Arafat’s bodyguards. The assailants burst into the home, dragged out Arafat in his pajamas and gunned him down in the dusty street.
The killing raised new questions about the Palestinian Authority’s ability to take control of Gaza after Israel completes its pullout next week.
It occurred a block from the headquarters of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service, which failed to respond, and 400 meters from Abbas’ Gaza residence, where he was spending the night.
Palestinian officials said they viewed the killing as an attack on the government. “This is a very dangerous act,” said Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei.
Abbas met with top security officials, placed his forces on high alert and said he would track down the killers. “This crime does not stop his efforts to maintain law and order,” said a statement issued by Abbas’ office.
With his security forces severely weakened after years of fighting with Israel, Abbas faces a formidable task. Armed gangs roam freely in many parts of Gaza, and rival militant groups are engaged in a bitter power struggle with Abbas’ ruling Fatah movement ahead of the Israeli pullout.
Years of corruption in Fatah’s ranks during the reign of Yasser Arafat, who died last year, have further weakened Abbas’ standing.
Moussa Arafat had many enemies and was the target of frequent corruption allegations. Abbas fired him as Gaza security chief several months ago, and demoted him to a symbolic position of military adviser.
