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A delegation of Egyptian intelligence officials left the Gaza Strip on Saturday after taking part in meetings with Hamas leaders on Thursday to discuss stabilization of the security situation and efforts to achieve lasting calm. with Israel.
At the same time, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that Hamas feared that Israel would take a stronger stance towards Gaza after last week's violent conflict and could reconsider its initiatives aimed at to improve the economic situation of the enclave.
A terrorist group source told the newspaper that such actions "would be a declaration of war and that our response will be stronger and more intense than before".
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Hamas officials shared their concerns with Egyptian officials, but were assured that there would be no change in Israel's position on previously concluded deals, the report said. The Egyptians, meanwhile, have asked Hamas to continue to restrict demonstrations at the border and keep them away from the security fence.
As part of efforts to secure a long-term ceasefire, Israel this month authorized Qatar to send funds to Gaza to pay the salaries of Palestinian officials in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas members at a parade in Jabalya in Gaza "in support of the resistance" following a ceasefire with Israel after two days of violence on November 13, 2018. (capture from the Twitter screen)
The $ 15 million in cash brought into the territory was to be the first of six similar payments. Israel also allows fuel purchased by Qatar to enter the Gaza Strip for the operation of its only power plant.
Also on Saturday, the Israeli army said that it fired at a Palestinian who had reported suspiciously to the security fence, after failing to respond to the warnings to return. The man was hit and fled to the Strip.
On Friday, at least one Palestinian was killed and more than a dozen injured in clashes on the Gaza border, Palestinian media reported. The demonstrations took place despite IDF warnings that there is "zero tolerance" for violence.
Some 8,000 Palestinians gathered at the border. Most stayed away from the border fence, although some burned tires and threw stones at soldiers who responded with tear gas and live fire.
A Palestinian protester uses a spear to throw stones at Israeli forces during a protest that took place on November 16, 2018 in the eastern suburbs of Gaza City, near the border with Israel. (Photo MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)
Palestinian organizers of weekly clashes on Thursday urged Gaza residents to demonstrate on Friday "to thank the resistance" for their fight against Israel.
Since March, Palestinians have organized a weekly demonstration on the border called "March of Return," which Israel has accused Hamas leaders in Gaza of using to launch attacks against troops and attempt to cross the border. security.
On Thursday, following an outbreak of violence that brought the region to the brink of a new war, the Israeli military liaison with the Palestinians threatened Gazans that "Israel's patience was at hand. end and that we would respond severely "to those who take part in the war. clashes along the border.
The outbreak of violence between Hamas and Israel this week is the largest since the Gaza war in 2014.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces, more than 460 rockets and mortar shells were fired Monday and Tuesday on southern Israel, more than double the speed at which they were fired during the 2014 conflict.
The Iron Dome missile defense system has intercepted more than 100 of them. Most of the others landed in fields, but dozens landed inside Israeli cities, killing one person, injuring dozens and causing significant property damage.
In response, the Israeli army said it was targeting about 160 Gaza-related sites linked to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist groups, including four facilities that the army has described as "essential strategic goods".
The fighting ended on Tuesday after the ceasefire announced by Hamas came into force, although this has not been officially confirmed by Israel.
The decision to end the attacks on Gaza has been criticized by many in Israel and quoted by Avidgor Liberman in his decision Wednesday to resign from his post as Defense Minister, which should allow to elect early elections in the Gaza Strip. Knesset.
In this image of November 16, 2018, Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, brandishes a handgun with a muffler, allegedly captured by Israeli special forces during an exchange of gunfire in the Gaza Strip. of Gaza on 11 November. (Screenshot of YouTube screen)
Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, warned Israel on Friday to "no longer test us," saying the territory's next rocket barrage would target Tel Aviv and other central cities with power that " would surprise "Israel.
He also warned that the next time Israeli soldiers enter the Gaza Strip, they will only return by exchanging prisoners for "thousands of prisoners".
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh praised Liberman's resignation Wednesday, saying the statement was a "confession of defeat" by Israel. Haniyeh also boasted that Hamas "won a military victory against this heinous occupier in less than a week.
"A military victory came with the heroic performance of the Palestinian resistance factions who reacted to the crime and the aggression of the occupier with a response to the extent of its aggression," he said. declared.
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