Gaza Strip – European Affairs Magazine

Hamas elects new political chief, fears Israeli assassination

8 Maggio 2017 BreakingNews @en di

The Hamas terrorist organization on Saturday named former Gaza prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, as the group’s new political chief. Haniyeh succeeds Hamas’ longtime leader Khaled Mashaal, who is based in Qatar, and the move comes shortly after the group unveiled a new, seemingly more pragmatic political program, which Israel swiftly dismissed as an “attempt to fool the world”. Haniyeh’s appointment marks the final phase of the secretive Hamas elections.To serve in his new capacity, however, Haniyeh will apparently be required to leave the coastal enclave and move to Qatar. Haniyeh was supposed to have departed for the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday for his swearing-in ceremony, but was forced to remain in Gaza after Egypt closed down the Rafah border crossing until further notice.Hamas officials expressed concern that if Haniyeh continues to reside in Gaza in his new capacity, he would be targeted by Israel for assassination and therefore, in their view, it was imperative that he leave the area as soon as possible.Gaza-based political analyst Hani Habib said he did not foresee a big paradigm shift in internal Palestinian politics under the new leadership.

Egypt opens Rafah border crossing with Gaza for three days

7 Maggio 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Egyptian authorities on Saturday open Rafah border with the Israel-blockaded Gaza Strip for three days to allow stranded Palestinians to return home. During three days, border will be open in one sense, from Egypt to Palestine. It will be the first opening of the border since 55 days, told an Interior minister source. This border is an important strategic point for Palestinian population, indeed, it’s the own border with the rest of the world without Israel control.

Netanyahu: Hamas military echelon begged to halt war with Israel

21 Aprile 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Netanyahu: Hamas’ military echelon begged to halt war with Israel. “We hit Hamas incredibly hard. They said, ‘We can’t go on with how these crazy Jews are hitting us’ and today they are careful not to shoot at us”, PM tells Knesset State Control Committee about 2014’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. Nethanyau, during a meeting, told a Knesset State Control Committee that Hamas’ military leadership begged the political echelon abroad to stop the war. Also he said that Israel hit Hamas incredibly hard, to the point that its military leadership in Gaza begged the political echelon abroad to stop the war. They said, ‘We can’t go on with how these crazy Jews are hitting us’ and today they are careful not to shoot at us”. As for the circumstances leading up to the fighting, the prime minister said, “We tried avoiding war as much as possible. Three years after the operation, we are now seeing the quietest period in the south”. Netanyahu told the committee that Hamas had prepared itself for a wide-scale operation aimed at removing the naval blockade Israel had imposed on Gaza.

Latest electricity crisis in Gaza makes the Strip unlivable for its two million residents

19 Aprile 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Gaza’s latest electricity crisis could be “the tipping point” that makes the Strip unlivable for its two million residents, a UN official told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. “The UN has been warning for some years that the chronic problems of Gaza are accumulating to the extent that we may be approaching a tipping point at which Gaza becomes unlivable”, said Robert Piper, coordinator for humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. It is one more blow for the Hamas-controlled enclave, where unemployment is at 42% and fresh water is a scarce commodity. Gaza will now operate on only four hours of electricity a day, down from eight. The plant had hit a crisis point in December that was averted by tax-free donations from Qatar and Turkey that provided the necessary diesel fuel. To help fix Gaza’s electricity problem and to make it “dramatically cheaper”, the Gaza power plant could be run on natural gas, Piper said. The plant would need to be renovated to shift it from a diesel-based operation, Piper continued, adding that the project could be done in stages.When looking at the larger picture of the crisis, Piper was clear that the primary cause is the restrictions on the freedom of movement of goods and people through the three crossings into the Strip, which have made a viable economy impossible. Israel controls two of the crossings, and Egypt is in charge of the third.Israel has placed restrictions on the Gaza passages since Hamas ousted Fatah from the Strip in a bloody coup in 2007.

Gaza Strip braces for severe electricity crisis

17 Aprile 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Gaza is bracing for a severe energy crisis after donor funds from Qatar and Turkey – used to purchase diesel fuel for the coastal enclave’s lone power plant – have run out. According to the Hamas-controlled Energy Authority in Gaza, it no longer has the funds to buy more diesel fuel and pay the requisite taxes, which are levied by the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. In January 2017, Turkey pledged to send 15,000 tons of diesel fuel to Gaza to operate the power station. The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, met with Hamas’ thenpolitburo deputy chief Ismail Haniyeh and promised to transfer $12 million to the Palestinian Energy Authority in Ramallah to purchase the large quantities of diesel fuel needed to run the Gaza power station.In the past, long power outages have sparked public outcry in Gaza. Much of the blame has been aimed at the Palestinian Authority but Hamas has also been criticized, despite the fact that demonstrations in Gaza against Hamas have been outlawed by the terrorist organization.Beyond the one power plant, Gaza’s 2 million residents also rely on electricity imports from Israel and Egypt.

Egyptian army forces destroys 2 Gaza border tunnel

3 Aprile 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Egyptian army forces destroyed two cross-border tunnels linking Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula with the blockaded Gaza Strip. Both was located to the North Sinai city of Rafah. Operations had killed 6 peoples and 29 suspects had been detained. These news destructions bring the total number of galleries destroyed by Egyptian amy since mid-January to 21 cross-borders galleries destroyed.

Hamas develops new 'High-Powered' rocket akin to Hezbollah projectiles

29 Marzo 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Hamas has recently developed a new high-powered rocket of which it has already produced several dozen, Army Radio reported on Tuesday. According to the report, the rocket is short-range and can carry a relatively heavy explosive load. In the event of a future conflict between Israel and Hamas, the new rocket would have the most effect on the Israeli communities bordering the Gaza Strip.Hamas has invested a lot of these rockets and if will start a war with ISrael, Palestine is ready. Hamas has stated that if he will start a war, civilians wouldn’t be involved. Tension between Israel and Palestine are soaring after Hamas accused Israel of being behind the assassination of one of its senior operatives, MazenFuqaha, in Gaza over the weekend.Addressing the assassination in a speech in Qatar on Monday, Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal warned that ““if Israel changes the rules of the game we accept the challenge”.

Hamas vows revenge after Farah's assassination, top official in Gaza

27 Marzo 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Hamas on Saturday vowed a “harsh response” against Israel for the killing of Mazen Faqha, a high-profile official with the Gaza Strip-based terrorist group. Faqha was found shot dead at the entrance of his house in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood on Friday evening. According to Hamas he was shot four times in the head with a silenced gun. Hamas has vowed revenge against Israel. There is a problem: Hamas blamed Israel for the “assassination” but provided no proof to support the accusation. While the group usually points the finger at the Shin Bet security agency, this time Gaza’s rulers claimed the Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency, was behind the hit. Faqha was well known in Israel. In 2003, he was apprehended by Israel and sentenced to nine life terms with an additional 50 years for directing a 2002 suicide bombing in Safed that left nine Israelis dead and dozens wounded. He was released as part of the 2011 Schalit prisoner exchange and was deported to Gaza, where he formed Hamas “West Bank headquarters”, tasked with creating terrorist cells across Judea and Samaria. Hamas will do everything to avenge Farah. The means of revage are manifold and we know that Hamas executes those convicted of collaborating with Israel.

Israel Defence Forces thwarts security incident on Israel-Gaza border: terrorist killed

23 Marzo 2017 BreakingNews @en di

The Israel Defense Forces foiled a security incident on the Israel-Gaza Strip border in the early hours of Wednesday morning. One terrorist was killed and two others were wounded in the incident, one of this have only eighteen years old. We know that IDF troops on routine patrol along the border detected suspicious movement on its eastern part, near Rafah. The Palestinian news agency Maan said that the local residents reported hearing gunshots and sounds of explosions, adding Israeli Air Force aircraft were heard flying over the border.

A conflict has erupted between Israel and Russia after the Israeli strike on a Hezbollah arms shipment in Syria

20 Marzo 2017 BreakingNews @en di

A conflict has erupted between Israel and Russia following the Israeli strike on a Hezbollah-bound arms shipment in Syria over the weekend. After the launch of air missile took place this Friday, Israel has officially recognized the attack. This situation has worried Russia. We don’t know exactly why Russia is worried but it is clear that is in Israel’s best interests to keep Russia out of the battle it is waging against advanced weapons smuggling to Hezbollah. Also Assad, the President of the Gaza Strip,Assad feels that his regime is no longer under immediate threat, and he is trying to communicate to Israel that he intends to raise the stakes should Israel continue launching attacks in his territory. Actually Assad hasn’t got interst to start a war against Israel but like Israel and Russia, he has taken things to the next level.