Gaza security forces have reportedly detained a person suspected of killing prominent Hamas member Mazen Fuqahaa, Arabic-language news site Falastin Ala’an (Palestine Now) reported on Monday evening.
The Palestinian media outlet wrote that it was “almost confirmed” that the suspect had been arrested, adding that he would be tried promptly.
However, the Hamas movement, the de facto ruling party in the besieged Gaza Strip, has not officially confirmed the news.
Meanwhile, Israeli news site Ynet reported that a Hamas-appointed committee investigating Fuqahaa’s death had submitted its conclusions to Gaza politiburo chief Yahya Sinwar.
Fuqahaa was shot dead in Gaza City on March 24, in what Hamas quickly branded an assassination ordered by Israel, although it has yet to make public evidence to support its accusation. The attorney general in the small Palestinian territory has meanwhile issued a gag order banning publication of any information about the ongoing investigation unless it came from official Palestinian judicial sources.
Following Fuqahaa’s death, Gaza security forces imposed unprecedented restrictions on freedom of movement in the blockaded coastal enclave for nearly two weeks as part of the search for those involved in the deadly shooting.
On the other hand, Gaza public prosecutor Ismail Jabir said on Sunday that 26 execution orders issued against Palestinians convicted of collaborating with Israel or other criminal charges would be carried out next year.
