Hamas gunmen opened fire on Friday on forces of the rival Fatah, injuring at least six people throughout the Gaza Strip, in another setback to a new security plan aimed at halting the wave of violence plaguing the chaotic coastal area.
With 10 Palestinians wounded over a two-day period, it was the worst factional fighting since the formation of the Hamas-Fatah unity government nearly two months ago.
Despite the growing tensions, it is unlikely the coalition would break apart soon, since neither party can govern alone or is eager to go to elections.
Later on Friday, six members of Hamas' militia were wounded in a family feud that appeared unrelated to its rivalry with Fatah, Palestinian security officials said.
The factional tensions flared again on Thursday, after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered the deployment of about 3,000 police in Gaza City. The troops took up positions at main intersections and government buildings.
Hamas was upset that Abbas, the Fatah leader, has not coordinated the new deployment with them. On Friday, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh canceled a scheduled meeting with senior security commanders, in an apparent show of displeasure.
Despite the renewed tensions, Abbas was to leave Gaza for the West Bank on Saturday.
After many months of clashes between the sides some Gazans are skeptical that the new police deployment would stem the unrest.
"They look good. But can they do anything? I doubt that very much," Badar Salim, 45, a Gaza City merchant said. "I hope this is something real, not just a show for the media."
The plan includes a joint operations room to be staffed by members of various security forces as well a joint security unit, said Ghazi Hamad, Haniyeh's spokesman. Hamad also said security commanders would hold meetings with leaders of Gaza's political parties and militant groups to maintain calm.
"Lawlessness and chaos have become very dangerous in Gaza, and all the participants are determined to end the chaos and restore security," he said.
Friday's clashes began before dawn, when a minibus filled with Hamas gunmen opened fire at a Fatah security force manning a new roadblock. Palestinian medical officials said at least four people were wounded in this exchange.
A coalition of civil rights groups on Tuesday asked a New York State judge to order one of its largest suburban counties to stop its deployment of nearly 600 license plate readers, calling it a warrantless and “indiscriminate surveillance system” that violates the state constitution. The class action lawsuit also alleged that Westchester County never got proper authorization to launch the program, which has amassed a database of 1.6 billion plate scans that has been shared with more than 50 outside law enforcement agencies. The complaint said the network “records the long-term travel patterns, daily habits, and intimate information of millions of
Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday blessed a giant new tower at Barcelona’s famed Sagrada Familia Basilica after celebrating mass inside what is now the world’s tallest church. A fireworks and light show illuminated the exterior of the temple at the end of the ceremony, bathing the unfinished basilica in shifting colours that highlighted its towering spires. A choir of 600 singers performed at the service which lasted around 90 minutes and was attended by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as well as King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. The stained-glass windows in various colours shone brightly in between the tree-like
Voters in Switzerland yesterday cast their ballots on an initiative championed by the top right-wing party to cap the Alpine country’s population at 10 million. As of press time last night, early results showed that Swiss voters were leaning against it. The populist Swiss People’s Party, which has the most seats in parliament, has stirred up and fostered anti-migration sentiment over the years, notably about an influx of workers from the neighboring EU. Critics called the bid a self-inflicted wound, saying the boom in migration over the past generation has brought foreign labor and skills to sectors such as healthcare, finance, pharmaceuticals
Scientists have discovered communities of marine life — including jellyfish, tubeworms and brittle stars — thriving on a whale graveyard. The graveyards form when whale carcasses fall to the sea floor, becoming a sustaining snack for nearby critters. This one, which is up to 7km below the surface of the southeastern Indian Ocean, spans the largest area, and is so far the deepest found. A whale’s sheer size and the unique chemistry of its bones are the keys to forming these unique underwater neighborhoods, said Song Xikun (宋希坤), a biologist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering
RSS