At dawn on Saturday 6 June 2009, the security forces of the Government in Gaza launched a widespread campaign of arrests which continued in some areas until the afternoon of the same day.
This campaign of arrests targeted Fatah movement affiliates and former employees of the Security Apparatus in all districts of the Gaza Strip.
In many cases, security forces seized and confiscated personal computers and cell phones.
  According to information attained by Al Mezan field researchers, the Internal Security Apparatus arrested 76 persons including Fatah activists, former employees of the Security Apparatus and liaison officers at the Ministry of Civil Affairs which included the director of a charitable association.
Detainees came from the following districts: ·         North Gaza district: 7 persons from North Gaza district were arrested.
In addition, in this district, security forces informed Mr.
Jamal 'Obeed's family that Mr.
'Obeed – who was not at home when the attempted arrest took place – must present himself to the Internal Security Apparatus.
·         Gaza district: 22 persons were arrested from Gaza district, including Mr.
Rami Nesman who was released after the death of his father.
His father suffered a cardiac arrest when the security forces arrested Mr.
Rami Nesman when they were unable to locate his brother, Sami.
·         Deir al-Balah (middle) district: 8 persons from Deir al-Balah (middle) district were arrested.
·          Khan Younis district: 16 persons from Khan Younis district were arrested.
·         Rafah district: 23 persons from Rafah district were arrested.
  The Fatah movement denied a connection with a further two persons who were arrested in Gaza City.
  On the same day of the launch of the arrest campaign, Saturday 6 June, the Ministry of Interior of the Government in Gaza announced in a statement published on its website that the arrests were of a security nature.
Al Mezan regrets this renewal of arrests as there is compelling cause to suspect that these arrests were politically motivated and come in the wake of recent events in Qalqilia which took the lives of nine Palestinians.
  Al Mezan views positively the adherence to legal procedures (which in the past have not been respected) in this arrest campaign, such as the issuance of search and arrest warrants and the registration of confiscated personal affects.
However, according to the arrestees, it was the Internal Security Apparatus which carried-out the arrests.
This body does not have the legal competence to conduct arrests which therefore constitutes a transgression of the law.
Further, detainees were not able to view the arrest warrants and so were unable to determine whether they were issued by the military prosecutor or the civil prosecutor and which body had jurisdiction.
    In addition, in violation of the law, Mr.
Rami Nesman, 37, was beaten when arrested.
His father subsequently lost consciousness and according to Mr.
Nesman, security personnel did not transfer his father to hospital.
Mr.
Nesman's father was taken to hospital and medical sources said he was dead on arrival.
  On the basis on field research in the Gaza Strip and following developments in the West Bank through the work of human rights organizations based there, Al Mezan strongly suspects that the arrests in Gaza are of a political nature and that the main driver for them is the internal division and conflict between the Fatah and Hamas movements.
  Al Mezan renews its call for the two parties and all of Palestinian society to: return to dialogue and unity; refrain from taking steps which weaken Palestinian society; and stop focusing on internal conflict at the expense of challenging crimes perpetrated by the Occupying Power.
  Al Mezan calls for the release of all political detainees and stresses the necessity to respect legal obligations and especially the right of detainees to not be subject to torture or cruel and inhuman treatment and their right to meet with their families and lawyers.
  Ends