Hamas leaders recently testified to the Goldstone investigative committee on Operation Cast Lead that their organization was not behind terrorist rocket attacks on Israel, and does not support such attacks. Despite its United Nations testimony, the organization boasted last week that it supports all Gaza terrorist groups in a broad-based “jihadist coordination.”
Fathi Hamad, who serves as the Hamas administration's Interior Minister, spoke last week at a Gaza City conference sponsored by the Association of Factions and Trade Unions. In a speech quoted by the Hamas-linked Safa news agency and translated by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, Hamad said, “We work in coordination with the resistance factions to make it easier for them to carry out their missions.”
Hamas told the Goldstone committee that it has made efforts to stop rocket fire from Gaza, and the committee mentioned alleged Hamas counter-terror efforts in its report. However, Hamad assured his audience that Hamas not only does not fight other terrorist groups, but routinely meets with the leaders of all Gaza terror groups “to remove obstacles.”
"We have ended the security coordination with the occupation, and have replaced it with jihadist coordination,” Hamad concluded.
As Interior Minister, Hamad oversees the Hamas armed police forces.