In 2009, The Jerusalem Post reported that the Committee is a police force that operates under the command of the Hamas Ministry of the Waqf (Islamic Endowment), and includes dozens of plainclothes police officers who patrol public places such as beaches, parks, restaurants, hair salons and cafes to ensure that males and females are not mixing together and that the women are dressed modestly.[1][2] A special all-female unit within the force is said to number 100-150 officers who enforce female modesty and handle female suspects, with uniforms that include a niqab and gloves, "with only an eye slit visible".[2] Citing unnamed local Gaza reporters, the newspaper states that the Hamas de facto government has not publicly acknowledged the force's existence because it fears being branded fundamentalist.[1]