Israel strikes militant sites in Gaza as unrest continues, no casualties
Associated Press
Tue, September 26, 2023
Palestinian protesters burn tires during clashes with Israeli security forces along the frontier with Israel, east of Gaza City, Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. The Israeli military said it struck three posts belonging to Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has controlled Gaza since 2007, following a number of incendiary balloons launched from Gaza into Israel. This is the latest violence to roil the territory as Palestinians stage routine protests by the border fence.
(AP Photo/Adel Hana)
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes hit several targets in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the country's military said, after Palestinian protesters flocked for the 12th straight day to the enclave's frontier with Israel — demonstrations that have devolved into violent clashes with Israeli security forces.
There were no reports of casualties in Gaza from the Israeli airstrikes.
The Israeli army said that it used a drone, helicopter and tank to strike multiple posts in northern and southern Gaza belonging to the strip's militant Hamas rulers in response to what it described as “violent riots” at the separation fence between Gaza and Israel. The protests involve Palestinians throwing stones and explosive devices, burning tires and, according to the Israeli military, shooting at Israeli soldiers.
Palestinian health officials reported that Israeli forces shot and wounded 11 protesters during Tuesday's rally.
Hamas, the Islamic militant group that seized control of Gaza in 2007, has said that young Palestinians have organized the protests in response to surging violence in the West Bank and alleged provocations in Jerusalem. In recent days Palestinians have also floated incendiary kites and balloons across the border into southern Israel, setting fire to farmland and unnerving Israeli civilian communities close to Gaza.
The unrest first erupted earlier this month, shortly after Hamas' Finance Ministry announced it was slashing the salaries of civil servants by more than half, deepening a financial crisis in the enclave that has staggered under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade for the past 16 years.
Under arrangements stemming from past cease-fire understandings with Israel, the gas-rich emirate of Qatar pays the salaries of civil servants in the Gaza Strip, provides direct cash transfers to poor families and offers other kinds of humanitarian aid. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday that it had begun the distribution of $100 cash transfers to some 100,000 needy families in the impoverished territory.
The sudden violence at the separation fence has stoked fears of a wider escalation between Israel and Hamas, which have fought four wars and engaged in numerous smaller battles since Hamas took over the territory.
But experts said that the violent protests — which have persisted with Hamas' tacit consent for nearly two weeks now — have more to do with Hamas' efforts to manage the territory and halt its spiraling economic crisis than draw Israel into a new round of conflict.
“It's a tactical way of generating attention about their distress,” Ibrahim Dalalsha, director of the Horizon Center, a Palestinian research group based in the West Bank, said of Hamas. “It's not an escalation but ‘warming up' to put pressure on relevant parties that can come up with money to give to the Hamas government.”
Israel, he added, also seeks to contain the exchanges with its precise strikes on apparently abandoned militant outposts — so far avoiding a mishap that could spiral into a conflict that neither side wants.
UN peace envoy, Egypt working to restore calm along Gaza fence
Nidal al-Mughrabi
Wed, September 27, 2023
Palestinians clash with Israeli soldiers during a protest over the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip
GAZA (Reuters) - International mediators have stepped up efforts to prevent a new round of armed confrontation between Israel and the Islamist Hamas group, which runs Gaza, amid an escalation in violent protests along the border fence.
"The United Nations is talking to and working with all concerned to improve the lives of people in Gaza, particularly the most vulnerable," U.N. Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland said on social media platform X on Wednesday, a day after he met Hamas officials in Gaza.
"The situation inside the Strip is dire and we must avoid another conflict that will have grave consequences for all. The people of Gaza have suffered enough and deserve more than a return to calm."
A regional diplomat said Egypt, which brokered numerous truces between Israel and Gaza militants in the past, had also stepped up its efforts to prevent a slide into another war.
Palestinians in Gaza have held protests along the fence for nearly two weeks, breaking from a period of relative calm.
Gazans say they are protesting over issues including the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and Jewish visits to the Al Aqsa mosque compound, a site holy to both Muslims and Jews, who know it as the Temple Mount.
Youths have thrown stones and improvised explosive devices at Israeli troops, who have responded with live fire, killing one Palestinian and wounding dozens of others.
Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari told Israel's Kan Radio the protests would fail to win concessions from Israel.
"The priority is to mount a strong defence and prevent the incidents going beyond the fence. Whoever turns the incident into one of terrorism - gets hit and is killed ... They won't get concessions through terrorism," said Hagari.
Israel had shut crossings and stopped workers from coming into its territory since early last week. Israel said reopening "will be subject to ongoing evaluation on the evolving situation in the region".
ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENTS
A Hamas spokesman had no immediate comment. The group has defended the demonstrations, saying they aimed to protest at Israel's closure and "assaults" against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Several wars and a 16-year Israeli-led blockade, backed by Egypt, have devastated the economy of Gaza and sent the unemployment rate to around 46% percent, one of the highest in the world.
The regional diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said mediators sought more Israeli economic improvements, further ease up on crossings it controlled with Gaza, and an increase in the number of work permits.
In return, he said, Hamas would curb protests and end the use of improvised bombs and incendiary balloons.
He said the protests were not isolated from a financial problem Hamas is facing, worsened by Qatar's slashing of funds.
Qatar has cut a grant it used to offer to support the wages of 40,000 Hamas employees to $5 million from $7 million.
In August, employees received 55% of the wages, not the usual 60%. The group has not paid wages in full for many years.
"Hamas understands that it is not in the interest of anyone in Tel Aviv, Washington, or the region to have wars or engage in open battles with Gaza and therefore, it began to activate tough tools and demonstrations along the border east of Gaza as tools of field pressure on the politicians in Tel Aviv and Washington," said Gaza economist, Mohammad Abu Jayyab.
(Reporting by Nidal Almughrabi; Additional reporting by Dan Williams; Editing by Alison Williams)
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes hit several targets in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the country's military said, after Palestinian protesters flocked for the 12th straight day to the enclave's frontier with Israel — demonstrations that have devolved into violent clashes with Israeli security forces.
There were no reports of casualties in Gaza from the Israeli airstrikes.
The Israeli army said that it used a drone, helicopter and tank to strike multiple posts in northern and southern Gaza belonging to the strip's militant Hamas rulers in response to what it described as “violent riots” at the separation fence between Gaza and Israel. The protests involve Palestinians throwing stones and explosive devices, burning tires and, according to the Israeli military, shooting at Israeli soldiers.
Palestinian health officials reported that Israeli forces shot and wounded 11 protesters during Tuesday's rally.
Hamas, the Islamic militant group that seized control of Gaza in 2007, has said that young Palestinians have organized the protests in response to surging violence in the West Bank and alleged provocations in Jerusalem. In recent days Palestinians have also floated incendiary kites and balloons across the border into southern Israel, setting fire to farmland and unnerving Israeli civilian communities close to Gaza.
The unrest first erupted earlier this month, shortly after Hamas' Finance Ministry announced it was slashing the salaries of civil servants by more than half, deepening a financial crisis in the enclave that has staggered under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade for the past 16 years.
Under arrangements stemming from past cease-fire understandings with Israel, the gas-rich emirate of Qatar pays the salaries of civil servants in the Gaza Strip, provides direct cash transfers to poor families and offers other kinds of humanitarian aid. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday that it had begun the distribution of $100 cash transfers to some 100,000 needy families in the impoverished territory.
The sudden violence at the separation fence has stoked fears of a wider escalation between Israel and Hamas, which have fought four wars and engaged in numerous smaller battles since Hamas took over the territory.
But experts said that the violent protests — which have persisted with Hamas' tacit consent for nearly two weeks now — have more to do with Hamas' efforts to manage the territory and halt its spiraling economic crisis than draw Israel into a new round of conflict.
“It's a tactical way of generating attention about their distress,” Ibrahim Dalalsha, director of the Horizon Center, a Palestinian research group based in the West Bank, said of Hamas. “It's not an escalation but ‘warming up' to put pressure on relevant parties that can come up with money to give to the Hamas government.”
Israel, he added, also seeks to contain the exchanges with its precise strikes on apparently abandoned militant outposts — so far avoiding a mishap that could spiral into a conflict that neither side wants.
UN peace envoy, Egypt working to restore calm along Gaza fence
Nidal al-Mughrabi
Wed, September 27, 2023
Palestinians clash with Israeli soldiers during a protest over the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip
GAZA (Reuters) - International mediators have stepped up efforts to prevent a new round of armed confrontation between Israel and the Islamist Hamas group, which runs Gaza, amid an escalation in violent protests along the border fence.
"The United Nations is talking to and working with all concerned to improve the lives of people in Gaza, particularly the most vulnerable," U.N. Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland said on social media platform X on Wednesday, a day after he met Hamas officials in Gaza.
"The situation inside the Strip is dire and we must avoid another conflict that will have grave consequences for all. The people of Gaza have suffered enough and deserve more than a return to calm."
A regional diplomat said Egypt, which brokered numerous truces between Israel and Gaza militants in the past, had also stepped up its efforts to prevent a slide into another war.
Palestinians in Gaza have held protests along the fence for nearly two weeks, breaking from a period of relative calm.
Gazans say they are protesting over issues including the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and Jewish visits to the Al Aqsa mosque compound, a site holy to both Muslims and Jews, who know it as the Temple Mount.
Youths have thrown stones and improvised explosive devices at Israeli troops, who have responded with live fire, killing one Palestinian and wounding dozens of others.
Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari told Israel's Kan Radio the protests would fail to win concessions from Israel.
"The priority is to mount a strong defence and prevent the incidents going beyond the fence. Whoever turns the incident into one of terrorism - gets hit and is killed ... They won't get concessions through terrorism," said Hagari.
Israel had shut crossings and stopped workers from coming into its territory since early last week. Israel said reopening "will be subject to ongoing evaluation on the evolving situation in the region".
ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENTS
A Hamas spokesman had no immediate comment. The group has defended the demonstrations, saying they aimed to protest at Israel's closure and "assaults" against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Several wars and a 16-year Israeli-led blockade, backed by Egypt, have devastated the economy of Gaza and sent the unemployment rate to around 46% percent, one of the highest in the world.
The regional diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said mediators sought more Israeli economic improvements, further ease up on crossings it controlled with Gaza, and an increase in the number of work permits.
In return, he said, Hamas would curb protests and end the use of improvised bombs and incendiary balloons.
He said the protests were not isolated from a financial problem Hamas is facing, worsened by Qatar's slashing of funds.
Qatar has cut a grant it used to offer to support the wages of 40,000 Hamas employees to $5 million from $7 million.
In August, employees received 55% of the wages, not the usual 60%. The group has not paid wages in full for many years.
"Hamas understands that it is not in the interest of anyone in Tel Aviv, Washington, or the region to have wars or engage in open battles with Gaza and therefore, it began to activate tough tools and demonstrations along the border east of Gaza as tools of field pressure on the politicians in Tel Aviv and Washington," said Gaza economist, Mohammad Abu Jayyab.
(Reporting by Nidal Almughrabi; Additional reporting by Dan Williams; Editing by Alison Williams)
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