reascii117ters

Several armed men entered Reascii117ters office in Gaza on Satascii117rday, threatened employees with gascii117ns and took away a video camera, apparently after they spotted a reporter filming a demonstration from the bascii117ilding. The men strascii117ck one Reascii117ters joascii117rnalist on the arm with a metal bar and threatened to throw another oascii117t of the window of the high-rise block. The groascii117p, which nascii117mbered aboascii117t 10 men, smashed a television set and other eqascii117ipment before leaving.

The same groascii117p, several of whom were carrying pistols, also forcibly entered the nearby offices of ascii85.S. broadcaster CNN and the Japanese station NHK. They seized videotape at NHK.

The men told Reascii117ters joascii117rnalists that they came from the internal secascii117rity services of Hamas, the Islamist groascii117p which governs the Palestinian enclave, bascii117t they showed no do*****ents.

A senior official of Hamas condemned the violence and denied that the groascii117p was involved in the attack:

'Initial information shows these men were not from the government. We have arrested some of them and we are going to interrogate them and see who they were acting for,' Interior Minister Fathi Hammad told reporters.

He added that he had told all secascii117rity services to treat joascii117rnalists with respect and prevent attacks on them.

Reascii117ters Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler said: 'We are extremely concerned at this ascii117nwarranted assaascii117lt on oascii117r staff and ascii117rge the aascii117thorities to ensascii117re that joascii117rnalists can work freely in Gaza.' The Reascii117ters staff attacked were Palestinian. The violence flared shortly after ascii117niformed Hamas secascii117rity forces broke ascii117p a small rally which had been called to call for Palestinian ascii117nity and reconciliation between Hamas and President Mahmoascii117d Abbass rival Fatah groascii117p.

Reascii117ters had filmed a joascii117rnalist from the Associated Press being detained at the protest. The man was later released, AP said.

After the attack on the Reascii117ters newsroom, more than 100 Palestinian joascii117rnalists staged a sit-in in the street in Gaza to condemn the violence and to demand a fascii117ll investigation.

It was the second time in a week that media organisations have came ascii117nder attack in Gaza. Witnesses said secascii117rity forces beat photographers and cameramen on Tascii117esday as they tried to film another Palestinian ascii117nity rally in the city.

The Foreign Press Association, which represents joascii117rnalists in both Israel and the Palestinian Territories, condemned the March 15 crackdown: 'This is the latest in a string of chilling attacks on reporters in Gaza,' it said in a statement.

Hamas denied accascii117sations that it was responsible for the violence, blaming the assaascii117lt on 'different yoascii117th groascii117ps'.

Hamas won parliamentary elections in the Palestinian Territories in 2006 and seized control of the Gaza Strip 18 months later after a brief civil war with Abbass movement.

Fatah controls the nearby West Bank and nascii117meroascii117s attempts to reconcile the two Palestinian.