Tag Archive for Gaza blockade

| March 26, 2014
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4 Smugglers shot by Israeli Navy while heading to Gaza, boat explodes

 

Israel’s Naval troops said they heard secondary explosions after they fired on the 2 suspicious boats sailing from Egypt’s Sinai to the Gaza Strip.

By Yoav Zitun, Elior Levy

 

Israeli naval troops in the Mediterranean Sea opened fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning on suspected Palestinian smugglers traveling in two boats from Sinai to the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians said that four people on the boats had been wounded.

Israel Navy patrol vessels – Photo courtesy: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

It is not clear what exactly the boats were carrying, but the IDF said that the boats were damaged, and that they had heard secondary explosions after they had opened fire. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , , ,
| March 19, 2014
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Hamas labels Egypt’s blockade as a ‘crime against humanity’

 

The continued closure of Egypt’s Rafah Crossing into Gaza, prohibiting regular traffic for past 6 weeks, has prevented travel and denied humanitarian aid for thousands of Palestinians.

By Reuters

 

The Palestinian militant group Hamas on Tuesday called Egypt’s curbs on movement through its crossing with the Gaza Strip a “crime against humanity”, in an unprecedented rebuke of its Arab neighbor that further frays their worsening ties.

Palestinians walking toward the Egyptian border crossing with Gaza in Rafah, Egypt

Palestinians walk toward the Egyptian border crossing with Gaza in Rafah, Egypt, Aug. 2012.- Photo: AP

The closures, that Egypt says were introduced because of security concerns, have cut off imports of medicine and aid to the impoverished coastal enclave and prevented travel by thousands of Gazans and patients seeking treatment abroad. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| March 18, 2014
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Israel’s Navy & Palestinians exchange short gunfire on Gaza coast

 

Israeli Navy received gunfire from beach while intercepting small boat attempting to make its way from Gaza toward Egypt.

No one reported wounded in incident.

By Lilach Shoval and Israel Hayom Staff

 

Israeli naval forces exchanged gunfire with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip early Monday morning after the navy prevented a boat from leaving for Egypt.

The Israeli Navy detected a small boat attempting to make its way to Egypt early Monday morning and forced it back to the Gaza Strip. Following protocol, the soldiers opened fire at it. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the target was hit.

Palestinians then opened fire at the IDF force from the beach.

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Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| March 17, 2014
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Gaza’s power plant on line now that rockets not fired at Israel

 

After shutting down Gaza’s electricity plant to 1.8 million people due to fuel shortage caused by closed border when attack on Israel began, the Strip’s power station is back to full operation with Qatari-paid fuel.

By Reuters

 

The Gaza Strip’s sole power plant started up again on Monday after Israel allowed quantities of Qatari-paid fuel into the enclave to ease a power crisis, Palestinian officials said.

Electricity on the way to the Palestinians

Electricity on the way to the Palestinians – Photo: IsraelandStuff/PP

Gaza lacks much basic infrastructure and lives under an Egyptian-Israeli blockade meant to cut off arms flows but which also curbs imports of fuel and building supplies. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , , ,
| February 3, 2014
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Jerusalem Offers Turkey $20 Million Compensation for Mavi Marmara Incident

Compensation negotiations advancing over 2010 incident in which IHH sponsored flotilla attempted to illegally break Israel’s blockade on Gaza’s terror group Hamas.

By Ari Yashar

 

Israel has offered to pay $20 million in “compensation” to the families of Turkish citizens killed during the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla, which tried to illegally break the IDF blockade on the terror group Hamas in Gaza. Nine Turkish Islamists were killed as they violently attacked IDF soldiers who boarded their ship.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu formally apologized to Turkey last March for the soldiers‘ use of force in saving their own lives. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , , , , , ,
| December 9, 2013
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No longer able to smuggle stolen or cheap fuel & products from Egypt, Gaza struggles

Intended to block the smuggling of weapons, stolen goods, drugs & terrorists, Egypt’s tunnel clampdown is good for it’s security & public order, but for Hamas’ ‘gangster’ style government, many Gazans say they have never had it so tough.

By Reuters

 

Mohammed Al-Telbani, owner of one of Gaza’s biggest food factories, is the sort of businessman plucky enough to thrive despite an Israeli blockade of the Palestinian coastal enclave, but even he says he is finally running out of answers.

A Palestinian laborer in Gaza.

A Palestinian laborer works through a pile of steel reinforcement rods collected from destroyed homes in Gaza Strip on December 4, 2013.-

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , , , , ,
| December 2, 2013
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Israeli Navy Expects ‘Exiting Gaza Flotillas’

Gaza protest group plans to sail from Gaza to confront Israel’s naval ships enforcing the strip’s blockade.

By Gil Ronen

 

The IDF and Israel Navy are prepared to encounter what has been dubbed a “reverse flotilla” from Gaza, reports Israel Hayom Monday. The political flotilla will be coming at the Israeli ships from Gaza and going westward, as opposed to previous political flotillas that came from the west toward Gaza, hence the name “reverse flotilla”.

Israeli navy ship – Israel news photo: IDF spokesman

The IDF estimates that dozens of Arab and European activists will be on the flotilla, and that it will include several boats. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| November 24, 2013
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Finnish police charge captain of ship to Gaza on safety violations

The activists were arrested, then deported to their countries of origin & the ship confiscated by Israeli authorities. Now, the captain is being dealt with.

By JTA

 

Finnish police are investigating whether a captain overloaded a boat that sought to breach Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.

'Estelle' en route to Gaza Photo: Ship to Gaza

‘Estelle’ en route to Gaza – Photo: Ship to Gaza

The captain, Mika Jamian, is suspected of exceeding the maximum number of passengers allowed, according to a report Thursday by the Turun Sonomat daily. It said the ship, the Estelle, carried 30 people when it sailed to Gaza last year although its maximum allowed capacity was 17.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| November 21, 2013
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Gaza in Deep Sewage, Hamas Refuses to Buy Fuel

Under Egyptian Siege, and no longer able to smuggle stolen or cheap fuel via tunnels, and refusing to pay taxes to PA on purchased fuel, raw sewage is flooding Gaza City neighborhood, with 13 more sewage stations close to overflowing because pumps aren’t running.

By Gil Ronen

 

Raw sewage has flooded streets in a southern neighborhood of Gaza City in recent days, threatening a health disaster, writes the New York Times. The reason: cheap diesel fuel can no longer be smuggled in from Egypt, because Egypt’s army has shut down the smuggling tunnels that connected Gaza with Sinai.

The Hamas government shut down Gaza’s lone power plant on November 1, causing a pump station to flood. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| September 26, 2013
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Turkish FM says ‘Israel must do more to normalize ties’

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said speaking about Israel to a news conference at the UNGA: ‘some progress’ has been made but, they have yet to fulfill all 3 conditions.

By

 

There has been “some progress” in improving Turkish-Israeli relations but Israel has not yet fulfilled all conditions for normalizing ties, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said at a news conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly Wednesday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu – Photo: AP

Relations between the former allies soured dramatically after Israeli commandos stormed the Gaza flotilla trying to breach a blockade of the Gaza Strip in May 2010. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| September 22, 2013
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Egypt to Hamas: PA forces in place is key to reopening Rafah crossing

 

Cairo says without Abbas’ PA forces, Rafah border crossing will remain closed.

Hamas officials furious, calling the decision a “conspiracy”.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

 

 

 

Egypt won’t reopen the Rafah border crossing unless forces loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are allowed to return to the terminal, the PLO ambassador in Cairo, Barakat al-Farra, announced on Saturday.

A member of Hamas security forces rides a motorcycle on the border between Egypt and southern Gaza.

A member of Hamas security forces rides a motorcycle on the border between Egypt and southern Gaza. – Photo: REUTERS

Hamas said the announcement proved that the Gaza Strip was facing a “conspiracy.”

Abbas’s presidential guard was in control of the border crossing between 2005 and 2007, when Hamas expelled the PA from the Gaza Strip.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , , , ,
| March 29, 2013
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Foreigners prepare Gazans ‘provocation’ against Israeli blockade

 

Gazans will attempt to operate their boats beyond the Israeli limit of 3 miles off  shore.

“We’ve moved away from sailing into Gaza with aid. We now focus on sailing trade out,” says a foreign organizer.

By Israel Hayom Staff

 

 

A pro-Palestinian group says its activists will soon stage a provocation aimed at ending the Israeli naval blockade on the Gaza Strip. But unlike past attempts in which activists tried to enter the Gaza Strip from international waters, this time activists will try to draw attention to the Palestinian cause by defying Israeli restrictions which prevent Gazans from fishing more than 3 nautical miles off the Gazan shore.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| October 22, 2012
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Watch clip of Israeli commandoes seizing Gaza-bound boat

YouTube clip shows Saturday’s IDF soldiers’ takeover of vessel carrying pro-Palestinian activists

Ynet

 

A video posted on YouTube shows how armed and masked Israeli commandoes seized control on Saturday morning of the Finnish-flagged “Estelle” ship, which was headed to Gaza.

On Sunday the remand of the three Israeli activists who took part in the pro-Palestinian sail was extended.

Yonatan Shapira, Reut Mor and Elazar Elhanan are suspected of incitement, of knowingly aiding an enemy and of violating a legal order.

Judge Orit Hadad of the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court defined the three as “peace activists,” but extended their remand nonetheless. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| October 21, 2012
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‘We were tasered’ say Estelle activist

Pro-Palestinian activist accused IDF soldiers of using stun guns as they seized Gaza-bound vessel

Roee Idan

 

Activists who were detained aboard the Estelle, a Gaza-bound ship that was seized but the Israel Navy on Saturday, accused the soldiers of using taser guns to overpower them, Ynet learned Sunday.

Pro-Palestinian Israeli activist Yonatan Shapira, who was detained by the military, told his mother, Dr. Zvia Shapira, that soldiers used stun guns to subdue the activists.

The IDF said Saturday that the vessel was seized without the use of force.

Shapira called his mother from the Ashdod Police station, where he and Israeli activists Elik Yehezkel and Reut Mor were taken after they were detained. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| October 21, 2012
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IDF Reports: No Humanitarian Aid on Estelle Ship

The IDF has confirmed that the boat which sought to break Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza had no humanitarian aid on board.

By Elad Benari

 

The IDF has confirmed that there was no humanitarian aid whatsoever on the Estelle, the boat which sought to break Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza.

The Estelle

The Estelle – IDF Spokesman

Earlier on Saturday, Israeli troops boarded the boat, which was carrying 17 passengers, among them five parliamentarians from Europe and a former Canadian lawmaker. The IDF said the boarding was carried out only after “numerous calls to the passengers onboard” which went unanswered. Continue Reading »

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