Hamas imposes strict dress code in Gaza

JERUSALEM, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Hamas says it will expel female students in Gaza who fail to wear long coats, religious robes and headscarves when attending schools and universities.

A report in Haaretz Monday said the Hamas-run Education Ministry in the Gaza Strip has also banned female teachers from working at boys' schools and male teachers from working at girls' schools.

Haaretz said the Al-Quds-al-Arabi newspaper recently reported Hamas has "modesty patrols" that force young Palestinian women to wear headscarves in public, especially at beaches. It said the new regulations were part of a broader strict dress code Hamas intended to impose.

The patrols also sought to prevent unmarried Palestinian men and women from mixing together in public places, the reports said.