Hamas fears growing wave of defections to Israel by senior figures
The military wing of Hamas has taken a series of steps in an attempt to prevent senior organization figures from defecting to Israel in the future. At least four people in key positions defected during the past few months, most prominently Bassam Mahmoud Baraka from Khan Yunis who turned himself as well as his laptop computer over to the Israeli authorities. Under the new steps, those in "sensitive" positions are banned from approaching the zone next to the border fence. They are also monitored personally and electronically as well as subject to other unspecified means of deterrence, Arab media outlets in Gaza and London reported on Wednesday.