["Death threats issued to journalists and Fatah cadres to prevent them from praying in public squares in Gaza" - WAFA headline]

Gaza, 6 Sep (WAFA) - Today, the outlawed Executive Force militias sent threats to a number of journalists and thousands of citizens and Fatah cadres in the Gaza Strip, in an attempt to prevent them from conducting Friday prayers in public squares in the Gaza Strip. The threats, following the PLO forces' and factions' call for conducting prayers in public squares, came in the form of short SMS messages, such as: "Do not be taken in by those seeking to corrupt you, for tomorrow there will be no batons, but only death will await you."

Some of the journalists who received the messages said that they are determined to cover the prayers and condemned the outlawed militias' way of terrorizing people. Fatah cadres and the citizens also stressed that they will respond to the call of the PLO factions, and that these practices of intimidation will not discourage them from conducting the prayers.

[Bethlehem-based, independent Ma'an News Agency in Arabic reports at 1223 gmt: "A group of Executive Force members raided the Palestinian association for culture and media and the office of Al-Hadath press in Dayr al-Balah, and caused great damage."]

Source: Palestinian news agency Wafa website, Gaza, in Arabic 1221 gmt 6 Sep 07

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