RAMALLAH - In their stories from the Gaza Strip, Palestinians who managed to reach refuge in the West Bank described scenes of brutality, murder and chaos yesterday.

"Throughout its years of occupation the army [IDF] never did what they [Hamas] are doing," said A., a Palestinian who came to Ramallah on Sunday. "They are stealing money, gold, computers, burning homes. They expelled the entire families of six Fatah people from their homes and filled them with Hamas people. Now you understand why we were afraid?" he said.

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"People fled the Gaza Strip because they are afraid for their lives. They prepared a list of all the people they intend to kill. They arrested Tawfiq Abu Husa immediately after he emerged from the home of the head of the Egyptian security delegation, Burhan Hamad. They told Hamad - 'Go to Egypt,' and shot Abu Husa in the head. That is the reason the Egyptian security delegation left," he said.

"The feeling of every resident in the Gaza Strip was that at any moment he can die. Not because he is a member in Fatah. It is enough to have some affiliation with Fatah," said Wasim A'arib, another Palestinian who fled to Ramallah.

"Hamas believes that nothing will stop them from rising to power. Everything is legitimate: to kill, burn, torture. Three people from National Security were decapitated with a knife, the way they do in Iraq. They cut off the legs of Samih al-Madhun [a senior Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades figure] after they killed him. They are animals." (Avi Issacharoff)