Hamas has allowed a Palestinian newspaper to be distributed in Gaza Strip and kept the ban on two others, according to a Xinhua report. Hassan Abu Hashish, director of the Hamas' governmental press office, said the ban on the Jerusalem-based al-Quds daily was lifted "after the newspaper's directors pledged to remain professional and objective in their coverage of the events in Gaza Strip."
Abu Hashish said deposed Hamas premier Ismail Haneya and interior minister Said Siam made the decision to allow the newspaper back into the Hamas-controlled territory. The two other Ramallah-based newspapers, al-Ayyam and al-Hayat, are still banned from entering Gaza. The two newspapers are loyal to Hamas' bitter rival -- Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement.
Last month, Hamas authorities prevented the three newspaper from entering Gaza in the aftermath of a mysterious beachside blast in which a girl and five Hamas members were killed. According to Hamas, the coverage of the explosion and the crackdown, which Hamas launched against Fatah after the blast, was inaccurate. In West Bank, where pro-Abbas forces rule, two Hamas newspapers have been banned for more than one year.
