(AFP) - Nickolay Mladenov, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said on Sunday, "I strongly condemn the campaign of arrests and violence used by Hamas security forces against protesters, including women and children, in Gaza over the past three days."
Mladenov said, in a statement, "The long-suffering people of Gaza were protesting the dire economic situation and demanded an improvement in the quality of life in the Gaza Strip. It is their right to protest without fear of reprisal." He also said, "I am particularly alarmed by the brutal beating of journalists and staff from the Independent Commission for Human Rights and the raiding of homes."