Tag Archive for Gaza

| September 28, 2013
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PA official blasts token presence at Egypt-Gaza border crossing

 

Hamas accuses the Palestinian Authority of inciting Egypt to keep the Rafah crossing closed to undermine its authority over the coastal territory.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

 

 

 

The Palestinian Authority does not want to return to the Rafah border crossing as part of a partial solution to the crisis at the crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Jibril Rajoub, a senior member of the Fatah Central Committee, announced Saturday.

Egyptian Army soldiers guard gates of Sinai Gaza closed border crossing, May 20, 2012.

Rajoub’s announcement came as the Egyptian authorities reopened the border.

“The Palestinian leadership rejects partial appearances, such as the presence of the Presidential Guard at the sovereign border crossings, including Rafah,” Rajoub said.

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| September 23, 2013
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Despite growing isolation, J’lem believes Hamas won’t hesitate to attack

Is Hamas more concerned in maintaining power in Gaza or in starting another round with Israel?

Cairo is keeping the pressure on Hamas while Fatah is trying to step in.

By

 

Egypt has been squeezing Hamas tighter in recent weeks, demanding that its leadership prevent attacks against Israel at all costs. Cairo insists that Hamas stop any assistance to Islamist organizations in Sinai, which are fighting against Egypt’s new rulers.

Hamas militants in Gaza.

Hamas militants taking part in a protest against peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, in central Gaza Strip, September 20, 2013. – Photo: Reuters

The military coup in Egypt in July caused a strategic change in the region, with Hamas being one of the main victims so far. Continue Reading »

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| September 23, 2013
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IHH Flotilla Group Condemns Egypt for Gaza Suffering

Turkey’s IHH, sponsors of the infamous & deadly 2010 Gaza flotilla, has a new enemy – Egypt.

By David Lev

 

An international anti-Israel group that has sponsored several flotillas to Gaza is now taking aim at Egypt, accusing the new government there of imposing a blockade on the area.

flotilla ship – Photo courtesy: IDF Spokesperson’s Office

Since the deposing of President Mohammed Morsi by the Egyptian army, Egyptian soldiers have cracked down hard on the Muslim Brotherhood – arresting scores, including most of the movement’s leadership, routing Islamists in Egypt’s large cities and pursuing them into the Sinai Peninsula.  Continue Reading »

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| September 19, 2013
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5 Palestinian fisherman get year in jail by Egyptian military court


The 5 Palestinian men were sentenced for illegally infiltrating into Egyptian waters in North Sinai bordering Gaza & Israel.

By Reuters

 

An Egyptian military court on Wednesday sentenced five Palestinian fishermen to a year in jail for illegally crossing into Egypt’s territorial waters, Egyptian security sources said.

Palestinian fisherman prepares his boat on the border with Egypt in Rafah

Palestinian fisherman prepares his boat on the border with Egypt in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013 – Photo: AP

“The court had arrested five Palestinians recently for crossing without permits to the Egyptian waters in North Sinai (that borders Israel and the Palestinian Gaza enclave),” one security source said. The source said each of the fishermen was also fined 500 Egyptian pounds ($730). Continue Reading »

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| September 16, 2013
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152 smuggling tunnels to Gaza destroyed since July by Egyptian Army

An Egyptian Army Spokesman said that the Egyptian army was closing Gaza’s smuggling tunnels on the Egypt-Gaza border because of Hamas’ military support for Sinai jihadists.

By , and Reuters
 

 

 

The Egyptian army has destroyed 152 tunnels on the Egypt–Gaza border since the end of July, an army spokesman said Sunday.

Egyptian soldiers on Sinai border.

Egyptian soldiers stand guard on at the border between Egypt and southern Gaza Strip, July 5, 2013.- Photo: Reuters

Ahmed Ali, the spokesman, said the Egyptian army demolished buildings constituting a security threat up to a kilometer from the border. He added that Gaza-based groups were carrying out operations together with armed Islamists in the Sinai Peninsula. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , , ,
| September 7, 2013
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Cairo moves added troops to border with Gaza to ‘clean’ area of Islamists


Long column of Egyptian tanks & armored personnel vehicles, which appears to be one of the Army’s largest units deployed to the area in recent years, witness reports.

By

 

 

A military official says Egypt is deploying new troops backed by tanks and other armored vehicles to insurgent strongholds in the northern Sinai Peninsula.

Egyptian Army soldiers patrol in Sinai.

+++Egyptian Army soldiers patrol in an armored vehicle backed by a helicopter gunship during a sweep through villages in in Sheikh Zuweyid, northern Sinai, Egypt in May. – Photo: AP

 

He says the army will “clean” areas around the towns of Rafah and Sheikh Zuweyid on the border with the Gaza Strip and two nearby villages, al-Qurea and al-Dhahir, where Islamic militants operate. Continue Reading »

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| August 27, 2013
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Palestinian court sentences another Gazan to death for ‘collaborating’ with Israel

Unnamed Palestinian defendant was found guilty in a Gaza court of “collaboration with the Zionist occupation against the Palestinian people” and sentenced to death.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
 

 

A Palestinian court in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday sentenced a man to death for “collaboration” with Israel.

Execution in Gaza (Archive photo: Reuters)

Execution in Gaza – Archive photo: Reuters

A source in the Hamas govern

ment said that the man, whose name was not released, was found guilty of “collaboration with the Zionist occupation against the Palestinian people.”

The source did not give additional details.

The source claim that the defendant would be allowed to file an appeal against the verdict.

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| August 26, 2013
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Fatah: Abbas will soon implement ‘painful decisions’ against Hamas

 

Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmed, said Hamas will no longer be recognized as a partner in the process after implementation of decisions agreed upon with Israel.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

 

The Palestinian Authority will soon take “painful decisions” against Hamas, senior Fatah official Azzam al- Ahmed announced on Sunday.

Palestinian Hamas rally

Palestinian Hamas rally – Photo: REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini

Ahmed did not specify the nature of the decisions.

However, he said that Hamas would no longer be considered a partner in any process after the decisions are taken by the PA leadership.

The official denied that the PA leadership in the West Bank was considering declaring the Gaza Strip a “rogue entity.”

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| August 24, 2013
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Abbas’ Plans to Call Elections will Challenge Hamas

PA President Abbas is planning to challenge Hamas’ legitimacy by holding elections only in Judea & Samaria & then declaring that Gaza is a ‘rebel region.’

By Elad Benari, Canada

 

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is planning to challenge Hamas by holding elections only in the areas of Judea and Samaria under his control, Channel 2 News reported on Friday.

According to the report, which cited officials in Ramallah, Abbas is planning to call for elections in the PA-assigned areas of Judea and Samaria soon, and has appointed a team of officials from his Fatah movement to plan the move. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| August 23, 2013
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Gazans protest against having Israeli-Palestinian peace talks

 

Hamas leader: Abbas doesn’t have the right to relinquish any piece of Palestinian land. Returning to talks is a blow to jihad & to our sacrifices.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

 

 

 

Hundreds of Palestinians on Friday protested in the Gaza Strip against the recently renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, AFP reported.

Israeli Arabs wave Palestinian flags during a rally, April 2007.

Israeli Arabs wave Palestinian flags during a rally, April 2007.- Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad

The marches, reportedly organized by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, condemned rival West Bank-based Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s “political failure” for returning to the negotiating table with Israel.

Protesters commenced marching from various mosques across the enclave toward a square in central Gaza City, according to AFP.

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| August 19, 2013
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Gaza’s ‘Tamarod’ Youth Renew Call for Overthrow of Tyrannical Hamas

Gaza’s “Tamarod” youth group uploaded a YouTube video calling on all Gazans to oust Hamas, which it calls out as “corrupt” & “tyrannical” in the name of religion.

By Kochava Rozenbaum

As reported last month by Arutz Sheva, the Tamarod Movement in Gaza, recently inspired by the success of the Egyptian Tamarod Movement, is preparing for mass-demonstrations to oust the Islamic Gazan leaders of Hamas this coming November 11th.

“Tamarod” (“Rebel”) is the name of the popular anti-Islamist youth movement which led popular protests against Mohammed Morsi in the run up to his removal by the military.

Now, in a recently uploaded video, four youth Tamarod members have issued a video statement urging Gazans to take to the streets. Continue Reading »

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| August 16, 2013
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Palestinian survey: 20,000 Palestinians working in settlements

Palestinian Survey also finds the unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip was 27.9% compared with 16.8% in the West Bank.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

 

 

 

Unemployment in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip remains relatively high, according to a survey published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.

Palestinian construction worker

Palestinian construction worker – Photo: REUTERS

The survey also showed an increase in the number of Palestinians working in Israel and settlements.

The survey showed that the unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip was 27.9 percent compared with 16.8% in the West Bank in the second quarter of 2013.

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| August 14, 2013
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UN rights chief urges Hamas to cancel prisoner executions in Gaza

 

Pillay “deeply concerned” after Hamas declares that men sentenced to death are to be executed as planned after Ramadan.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
 

 

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Wednesday urged Hamas in the Gaza Strip not to carry out planned executions.

Hamas forces executes Majdi Mikkawi [file]

Hamas forces executes Majdi Mikkawi [file] – Photo: REUTERS/Stringer

In a statement, Pillay expressed deep concern “at the possibility that executions might be carried out over the course of the next weeks in Gaza and urgently appeal to the de facto authorities there not to implement any death sentences.”

The attorney general in Gaza made several announcements during Ramadan that after the Eid al-Fitr celebrations, which have just ended, executions of people sentenced to death would take place. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| August 14, 2013
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Islamist terror organization Hamas getting closer to Iran

 

 

Resumption of peace talks only intensifies internal disagreements between Palestinian factions.


Most Palestinians are still skeptical about results of peace negotiations.

By The Media Line

The Islamist Hamas movement has sharply criticized the Palestinian Authority for resuming peace talks with Israel, saying that President Mahmoud Abbas is giving in to American pressure. The criticism comes as Hamas moves toward a rapprochement with Iran, despite differences over Syria.

Members of Hamas police take part in a graduation ceremony in Gaza City, Dec. 17, 2012. - Photo REUTERS-Suhaib Salem

Members of Hamas police take part in a graduation ceremony in Gaza City,. – Photo REUTERS-Suhaib Salem

“The (Israeli-Palestinian) negotiations will not lead to anything – it’s just wasting time,” Hamas deputy foreign minister Ghazi Hamad told The Media Line. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| August 13, 2013
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Egypt’s post-Morsi gov’t limits Palestinian visitors from Gaza

Recent restrictions on Palestinians are ‘not a punishment’ for Hamas  says Egyptian official, but limiting foreigners during escalated fighting against Sinai militants.

By Reuters

 

Egypt has sharply cut the number of Palestinians allowed to enter from the Gaza Strip since its military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last month, Gaza’s Hamas leaders said on Monday.

Palestinian youths take a nap as they wait with other passengers to cross into Egypt at Rafah border

Palestinian youths take a nap as they wait with other passengers to cross into Egypt at Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip. August 12, 2013. – Photo: Reuters

An Egyptian official said the curbs were “not a punishment” for Hamas’s Islamist leanings but an effort to reduce civilian traffic as Egypt has stepped up military operations against Islamist militants in the Sinai region bordering Gaza. Continue Reading »

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