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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gunmen in Gaza have shot to death 18 people suspected of spying for Israel, a day after three top Hamas military commanders were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Hamas media says today's shootings signal the start of a crackdown on "collaborators." A website close to the Hamas security services says suspected informants will now be dealt with "in the field" rather than in the courts.
Eleven alleged collaborators were shot dead this morning at the Gaza City police headquarters. They included two women, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.
Later, seven people were lined up against a wall outside a mosque and shot with automatic rifles as worshippers wrapped up noon prayers. A witness says one of the gunmen said the seven "had sold their souls to the enemy for a cheap price."
It's the third time since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war six weeks ago that Hamas has announced the killing of alleged collaborators.
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105-a-18-(Karin Laub, AP correspondent)-"at least 14"-AP correspondent Karin Laub reports that Israel's intelligence services rely, in part, on informers to pinpoint the whereabouts of Hamas leaders. (22 Aug 2014)
<<CUT *105 (08/22/14)££ 00:18 "at least 14"
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