Hamas Announces New Islamist Legal Code – Nasouh Nazzal
(dailyalert.org, Mar. 28, 2014)

Faraj al-Ghoul, head of the Legal Department at the Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza, recently announced that the Palestinian parliament in Gaza will impose a new legal code to replace the current one dating from 1936. A senior Hamas official said the new law “is inspired by” Sharia (Islamic law).

    The law stipulates a minimum of 20 lashes for a minor offense, with the number of lashes increasing with the seriousness of the offense. A minimum of 80 lashes is to be imposed in criminal cases. The law also widens the use of the death penalty and stipulates the cutting off of the hand of a thief. (Gulf News-Dubai)