Hamas deploys forces near Gaza-Israel border to stop rocket fire

[Jefferson23]

Move follows two severe Israeli warnings.

By DPA and Haaretz | Jan. 21, 2014

Hamas, the Islamist movement ruling the Gaza Strip, deployed its armed men along the borders with Israel to stop militants from firing rockets at Israel and to prevent an escalation in tit-for-tat violence.

Islam Shahwan, a spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry, declined to elaborate on the measures in the field but said the rocket attacks against Israel were carried out by small, unknown militant groups.

The deployment came during an escalation in rocket and mortar attacks by Gaza armed groups at southern Israel and Israeli retaliatory airstrikes, and after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued two harsh warnings against Hamas to rein in rocket fire in the Strip.

The first warning was made through Egypt over the weekend, and the second was made earlier on Tuesday, when Netanyahu said during a press conference with his Canadian counterpart, who is currently visiting Israel, that Hamas and other terror organizations should beware a harsh Israeli response if they choose to attack.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.569783

[Jefferson23]

1. As Egypt squeezes Gaza, Hamas looks increasingly cornered

The deterioration in Gaza since Egypt cracked down on smuggling tunnels has left Hamas weakened – and looking to mend fences with Palestinian rival Fatah.

By Christa Case Bryant, Staff writer, Ahmed Aldabba, Correspondent / January 21, 2014

Gazan Adnan Abu Dalal, a father of seven, spent years dependent on aid after losing his job in Israel when the second intifada broke out.

He finally found work with a local construction company, but he was left jobless again this summer when Egypt cracked down on the smuggling tunnels along Gaza’s southern border. The tunnels secured nearly 70 percent of Gazans' commercial needs, including construction materials, as well as cheap Egyptian fuel that powered everything from generators to wastewater treatment plants.

While life here has been hard for years, there has been a distinct deterioration in recent months. Electricity is down to eight hours a day or less; prices have spiked; the streets have been flooded with sewage on multiple occasions; and unemployment has shot up to 43 percent, up from 23 percent in the first half of 2013.

“I believe pet animals abroad have better lives than ours. I don't care if Hamas or Fatah rule, what I need is a bright future for my children,” says Mr. Abu Dalal, who says he is embarrassed that they have to wear last year’s school uniforms because he couldn’t afford new ones. “The government is careless and the other Arab and foreign countries are doing nothing to end our suffering.”

The deterioration comes as Hamas finds itself increasingly squeezed between Israel and Egypt, both of which have been hit hard by terrorist groups operating in the Sinai peninsula and in recent months have improved military cooperation to tackle the mutual threat. As both countries crack down on terrorist links between Hamas-run Gaza and Sinai, frustration with the increasingly poor conditions in this crowded coastal territory could boil over, presenting an additional threat both to Hamas and its neighbors.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/2014/0121/As-Egypt-squeezes-Gaza-Hamas-looks-increasingly-cornered