Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

    GAZA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Hamas prevented two members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) from heading for Ramallah to attend a meeting for the organizations' executive committee, a spokesman of Fatah movement said Wednesday.

    The spokesman, Fehmi al-Za'arier, said that Hamas police forces seized the identity cards of Zakaraya al-Agha and Riyadh al-Khodary near Erez crossing in northern Gaza Strip.

    "After taking their documents, Hamas told the two PLO members that they can't travel to Ramallah, historically imitating the Israeli occupation procedures against the Palestinian people," al-Za'arier said.

    The spokesman also accused Hamas of "escalating its aggressive measures against the Palestinian leaders and citizens after it started a ceasefire with the occupation."

    But Ihab al-Ghussein, spokesman for the Interior Ministry in the deposed Hamas government, said the documents were temporarily confiscated because the two men did not informed the ministry prior to their departure.

    "The ID cards will be returned but they have to commit to the interior ministry decisions and inform the official departments to organize the movement of people in and out of Gaza," al-Ghussein said.

    Hamas took over the Gaza Strip by force after it routed pro-Abbas forces in June last year.

    On June 19, Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel to ease the blockade that Israel imposed on Gaza after Hamas has taken over it.