Hamas chief visits Gaza
Landmark trip a show of strength
GAZA CITY — The exiled Hamas chief broke into tears Friday as he arrived in the Gaza Strip for his first visit, a landmark trip reflecting his militant group’s growing international acceptance and its defiance of Israel.
Khaled Mashaal, who left the West Bank as a child and now leads the Islamic group from Qatar, crossed the Egyptian border and, once on Gazan soil, prostrated himself in a gesture of thanksgiving, recited a traditional Islamic prayer and kissed the ground.
He was greeted by a crowd of Hamas officials and representatives of Hamas’s rival party, Fatah.
Mashaal, 56, was also welcomed by a group of Palestinian children of Gaza militants killed by Israel in recent years, wearing military-style uniforms. Thousands of Hamas supporters lined the streets as Mashaal and Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh drove by, waving and flashing victory signs.
That the visit took place at all is a window on the changing climate of the Middle East and the balance of power among the factions and nations.
Hamas has received a boost from the rise of its parent movement, the fundamen- talist Muslim Brotherhood, following Arab Spring revolts — especially in Egypt. Deposed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak barely tolerated Hamas, co-operating with Israel on a blockade of Gaza after Hamas overran it in 2007.
Israel, along with the United States and European Union, lists Hamas as a terror organization because of its history of attacks, including suicide bombings, against Israelis. Controlling most entrances to Gaza, Israel prevented most prominent diplomats from entering the territory after the violent Hamas takeover.
Egypt’s new Brotherhooddominated regime has welcomed Hamas leaders, negotiating a truce to end an eightday flare-up between Hamas and Israel last month.
“I have been dreaming of this historic moment my entire life, to come to Gaza,” Mashaal told reporters as he stood alongside senior Hamas member Mousa Abu Marzouk and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. “I ask God to give me martyrdom one day on this land.”