GAZA, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- An influential member of the Palestinian Fatah party is returning to prominence with his claims that Hamas is a murderous group losing popularity.
In an interview with Israeli newspaper Haartez, Muhammad Dahlan, a member of Parliament and former Fatah security minister, said a Fatah rally he organized Sunday in Gaza was proof Hamas has lost its popularity since it won parliamentary elections a year ago.
"They have lost the Palestinian street which sees what they have become: A bunch of murderers and thieves who execute ... Fatah members," he said.
Dahlan denied reports he had been put in charge of Abbas's security forces again and said his job was to build grass-roots support for Fatah in the Gaza Strip.
In the past month, at least 30 people have been killed in clashes between Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel, and Fatah members, who are led by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Hamas and other hard-line Palestinian militants were targeted by Dahlan in the 1990s when he was security minister, the BBC said.
