Friday prayers lead to deadly shootout

(14 Aug 2009) SHOTLIST
1. Wide shot of leader of "Jund Ansar Allah" (means: Soldiers of the Companions of God) Abdel-Latif Moussa surrounded by the organisation's militants inside mosque
2. Medium of leader Abdel-Latif Moussa with militants
3. Back shot of Abdel-Latif Moussa, follower praying in front of him
4. Pan of the followers kneeling during prayer, chanting
5. Medium shot of two militants inside mosque guarding Abdel-Latif Moussa
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) leader of "Jund Ansar Allah" Imam Abdel-Latif Moussa:
"God willing, we are declaring the new-born Islamic emirate, in the area of the Jerusalem."
7. People inside the mosque chanting in favour of "Jund Ansar Allah"
8. Close up of Abdel-Latif Moussa at mosque
9. Militants sitting in front of people during prayer
10. Close up of militant with machine gun
11. Various of Abdel-Latif Moussa leaving mosque surounded by militants, militants chanting in support of the Imam
STORYLINE
Islamic radicals from an al-Qaida-inspired group on Friday battled Hamas security in the Gaza Strip in a shootout that killed at least seven people.
The fighting began when Hamas forces surrounded a mosque in the southern town of Rafah where about 100 members of Jund Ansar Allah, or the Soldiers of the Companions of God, were holed up, according to residents of the area.
Hamas security later raided the mosque.
The confrontation was triggered when the leader of the group defied Gaza's Hamas rulers by declaring in his Friday prayer sermon that the territory was an Islamic emirate.
Jund Ansar Allah and a number of other small, shadowy radical groups seek to enforce an even stricter version of Islamic law in Gaza and have criticised Hamas for not doing so.
The group has emerged as a major opposition force to Hamas in Gaza.
Jund Ansar Allah claims inspiration from al-Qaida, but no ties have been confirmed.
It first came to public attention in June after it claimed responsibility for a failed attempt to attack Israel from Gaza on horseback.
In July, three Muslim extremists from the group holed up in a building in southern Gaza, surrendering to Hamas police only after a lengthy standoff.
It is unclear how many members Jund Ansar Allah or other similar extremist groups in Gaza have.
The groups have criticised Hamas for not imposing Islamic law in Gaza and are upset that the Hamas regime has honoured a cease-fire with Israel for the past seven months.
Hamas has said it seeks to set an example and does not impose its views on others.
It also says its struggle is against Israel, not the Western world.

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