New fighting erupts amid steps to tone down Gaza violence
JERUSALEM — A fresh wave of fighting erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, leaving at least six Palestinians dead just as Israel and Hamas had appeared to be making progress toward ratcheting down months of border violence.
It was not immediately clear what set off the sudden, latenight burst of violence.
In a statement, Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said Israeli undercover forces in a civilian vehicle infiltrated three kilometres into Gaza and fatally shot one of its commanders. It said militants discovered the car and chased it down, prompting Israeli airstrikes that killed “a number of people.” The clashes were still going on, it said.
The Israeli military reported an “exchange of fire” had taken place during operational activity in Gaza and said that “all IDF soldiers back in Israel.” It did not elaborate.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said six people, including at least five militants, were killed and seven others wounded. In Israel, the military said it had intercepted two rockets fired from Gaza as air raid sirens continued to sound.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on a visit to France, announced he was rushing back to Israel to deal with the crisis.
Sunday’s development shattered what appeared to be a turning point after months of bloodshed along the Israel-Gaza border, with weekly Hamas-led protests drawing thousands to the fence with Israel. More than 170 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the border protests, in which Palestinians throw rocks, burning tires and grenades toward Israeli troops.
Last week, Israel allowed Qatar to deliver US$15 million in aid to Gaza’s cash-strapped Hamas rulers. It is the first instalment of $90 million that Qatar has pledged to cover the salaries of thousands of unpaid Hamas employees for six months. Hamas then lowered the intensity of Friday’s border protest.
Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu had defended his decision to allow the transfer of the Qatari money, rejecting criticism that the move had strengthened the Islamic militant group.
Netanyahu told reporters that it was “the right step” at the moment and that he was committed to restoring quiet along the Israel-Gaza frontier and preventing a humanitarian crisis in the coastal Palestinian territory.
“Every action, without exception, has a price,” he said. “If you can’t handle the price you cannot lead. And I can handle the price.”
Israeli critics, including members of Netanyahu’s hardline coalition, accused him of capitulating to violence and of granting relief to embattled Hamas.
The internationally backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose forces lost control of Gaza to Hamas in 2007, angrily accused the U.S. and Israel of being involved in a “conspiracy” to permanently sever Gaza from the West Bank. He promised to take unspecified measures against his Hamas rivals in the coming days.
Hamas leaders in Gaza have described the arrival of the $15 million, delivered last week in three suitcases by a Qatari diplomat, as their first major gain of more than seven months of weekly protests along the perimeter fence.
Hamas has been leading the protests since March 30 in a bid to ease a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade that was imposed in 2007 in order to weaken the militant group. The blockade has led to more than 50 per cent unemployment and chronic power outages, and prevents most Gazans from being able to leave the tiny territory.
Israel says it is defending its border against militant infiltrations, but its army has come under international criticism because of the large number of unarmed protesters who have been shot.