Western Negev towns and villages enjoy the continuing quiet 

During the past week, as in the week before, western Negev towns and villages continued to enjoy quiet. One exceptional event was a failed attempt on July 25 to launch a rocket into Israel from the Saja'iya district of the northern Gaza Strip. The rocket landed near the Kissufim crossing on the Gazan side of the border.

The Gaza Strip

This past week as well no counterterrorism activities were undertaken in the Gaza Strip.

Judea and Samaria

Hamas operative who planned the suicide bombing attack in Dimona killed

On July 27 Shihab al-Natsheh , a high-ranking Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades operative, was killed in an Israeli security force activity in Hebron . During the attempt to arrest him he refused to surrender, firing a gun and throwing an explosive device at the Israeli forces. Explosive devices destined for terrorist attacks were found in the apartment he was staying in . There were also yarmulkes and police caps intended to disguise terrorists during the attacks (IDF Spokesman's website, July 27). A large number of important Hamas operatives have recently been detained by the IDF in Hebron . In addition, three Hamas weapons laboratories were uncovered containing large amounts of materials used for making explosives, explosive devices, explosive belts and ammunition (IDF Spokesman's website, July 27).

Shihab al-Natsheh had been imprisoned in Israel for involvement in terrorist activities, including the manufacture of explosive devices. He was released in June 2006 and a short time later returned to Hamas activities. In recent months he was wanted for involvement in planning attacks within Israeli territory. One of the attacks was the double suicide bombing attack in Dimona on February 4, 2008 ¹ (IDF Spokesman's website, July 27), in which two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the city's commercial center. Four Israeli civilians were killed and dozens were wounded, one of them seriously.

The Israel Security Agency interrogation al-Natsheh's supporters revealed that al-Natsheh himself had prepared the explosive belts used in the Dimona attack , and that he planned further attacks within Israeli territory . He was aided and abetted by other senior Hamas operatives who had also been imprisoned in Israel and released.

Hamas responses to the death of Shihab al-Natsheh

The Hamas media covered al-Natsheh's death, glorifying his actions and boasting that he had been behind the attack in Dimona, afterwards managing to cover his tracks and avoid capture (Al-Risala, July 28). The Hamas Internet forum appealed to Hamas supporters in Hebron to participate in his funeral (PALDF Forum, July 27). The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades threatened to respond to al-Natsheh's death “with the sword” at a time and place of their choosing (Al-Qassam website, July 27).

Shihab al-Natsheh's funeral (Al-Aqsa TV, July 27).

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that the killings of senior Hamas operatives “bring the Zionist occupier and settlers neither calm nor security.” He called upon Hamas operatives in the West Bank to “use the blood of their leaders as fuel to fan the fires of jihad and the resistance [i.e., terrorism], and to strike deep within the Zionist enemy in every way, using every method of the resistance ” ( Al-Bayan Center website, July 27).

The Gaza Strip crossings

During the past week there was a steady flow of goods into the Gaza Strip and civilians with humanitarian issues continued leaving the Gaza Strip for Israel . An average of 80 trucks a day passed through the Sufa crossing . As part of the trend to increase the amount and number of goods, an average of eight trucks delivering cement passed through every day.

As opposed to Hamas's complaints that the amount and quality of the merchandise delivered to the Gaza Strip were lower than what had been expected, other voices recently made themselves heard. Senior Hamas figures and other important individuals in the Gaza Strip agreed that there had been a rise in the quantities of merchandise delivered through the crossings and that vital items such as gasoline, diesel fuel and cement were also being delivered. For example:

•  Mahmoud al-Zahar , top-level Hamas figure, said that there had recently more merchandise was being delivered. That had begun, he said, after the last meeting in Cairo at which Hamas had protested the rate at which goods entered the Gaza Strip. In response to the claim that the civilians did not feel a difference because of the lull arrangement, he said, “…No. Those are things being said by whiners. The civilians feel that now there is gasoline, whereas previously there wasn't a single drop. And [the same is true for] diesel fuel and cement…” (Al-Risala, July 28).

•  Muhammad Adwan , Hamas spokesman for the crossings, said that the situation at the Sufa crossing had eased greatly beginning with the week of July 19. He said that more than 100 trucks passed through every day, adding that the situation at the crossings would continue to improve with the expected opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing. He also noted that the amount of fuel had increased, but because of the lack of steady deliveries the fuel crisis continued (Al-Ayyam, July 24).

•  A trucking company was set up in the Gaza Strip to transport merchandise from the crossings. Its head, Abd al-Hakim Hassouna , said that the increase in the amount and types of goods entering the Gaza Strip was one of the reasons for the speed of the founding, and that it had about 100 trucks (Al-Ayyam, July 22). “Sources in the Gaza Strip” confirmed that Israel had begun to deliver merchandise such as clothing, material, children's shoes, flower seedlings and other agricultural products. They said that the quotas on goods allowed in had been enlarged (Al-Ayyam, July 24).

•  The director of the Palestinian Commercial Services Company, Nabil al-Zayyim , said that at the beginning of August cement in bulk would be delivered through the Karni crossing. He said that Israel had committed itself to renew the supplies of cement in bulk to the Gaza Strip after more than a year during which deliveries had stopped (Al-Ayyam, July 23).

The Rafah crossing

On a visit to Cairo Abu Mazen was interviewed by Egyptian TV. One of the topics discussed was the opening of the Rafah crossing, and he said that Hamas was insisting it be opened before the release of Gilad Shalit. He said that the crossing could only be opened as part of an international agreement (the crossings agreement of 2005), but that the others (between Israel and the Gaza Strip) could be opened before that.

He accused Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad for firing rockets at the crossings “because they didn't want them to be opened.” He said that both organizations had fired rockets at the Erez crossing and detonated bombs at the Sufa and Karni crossings, “and as a result [they] were closed to deliveries of merchandise, gasoline and fuel.” He gave the example of the Allenby crossing in the West Bank , which functions normally, and wondered why the other crossings [in the Gaza Strip] could not function in the same way (Egyptian TV, July 28).

The terrorist organization military buildup in the Gaza Strip continues

Head of the Israel Security Agency issues warning

At a government meeting on July 27 ISA head Yuval Diskin presented data pertaining to the Hamas military buildup in the Gaza Strip during the lull. He said that since the lull arrangement had gone into effect Hamas had smuggled four tons of explosives into the Gaza Strip, 50 anti-tank missiles, light arms, material for the manufacture of rockets (iron bars) and gunpowder. He added that most of the equipment had been smuggled in through tunnels almost completely under Hamas control (Ynet, July 27).

Hamas

The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip continue exploiting the lull arrangement for their military buildup, which has received broad media coverage. On July 28 the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades held a military display in Rafah , in the southern Gaza strip. According to a newspaper report, dozens of operatives who had finished intensive military courses participated in the display. It was further reported that training and the manufacture of weapons continue during the lull, and that a number of operatives had been killed “while conducting experiments to manufacture charges more powerful than the shawaz ² projectiles in the possession of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades” ( Al-Bayan Center website, July 28).

The PIJ

On July 25 the Jerusalem Battalions, the military-terrorist wing of the PIJ, held training exercises in what were formerly Israel settlements , evacuated in the summer of 2005. The exercises included live fire from light and middle-range weapons, and RPGs. A well-place source in the organization told the Ma'an News Agency (July 25) that “the Jerusalem Battalions leadership is exploiting the lull to train more resistance operatives [i.e., terrorists] in preparation for the next stage…” A military display was also held in Khan Yunis on July 25, during which rockets of local manufacture, IEDs and rifles were exhibited, similar to a display held in the southern part of Gaza City (Ma'an News Agency, July 25).

PIJ criticism of the lull arrangement

PIJ leader Abdallah al-Shami criticized the lull arrangement, saying that “the Palestinian street has not felt any change at all, not when it comes to bread, not when it comes to tools, and not when it comes to Israel's control of the gas pipe…” He added that the lull brought no benefit [to the Gaza Strip] and that the most important thing was to focus on the “resistance” [terrorism] project. He claimed that Hamas had changed its political outlook since it took over the Gaza Strip, and one of the symptoms was its attempts to open lines of communication to Western countries (Ramattan News Agency, July 23).

A series of explosions in the Gaza Strip led to a wave of Fatah operative detentions

In the past week there was a series of three explosions which killed Hamas operatives and injured innocent civilians:

•  July 25 : A bomb exploded near a car on the beach in Gaza , killing six people, one of them a four-year old girl who was passing by, and wounding 20. Five of the casualties were Hamas operatives, two of them high-ranking members of its terrorist-military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

The scene of the explosion on the Gaza beach (Al-Jazeera TV, July 25).

•  July 25 : A bomb exploded near a popular café in Gaza City , killing one person, apparently the terrorist (See below).

•  July 24 : A bomb exploded near the home of Marwan Abu Ras, chairman of the Palestinian Scholars' League and Hamas representative in the Palestinian Legislative Council. There were no casualties but extensive damage was done to the building (Ma'an News Agency, July 25).

So far, it is not clear who was responsible for the three attacks or whether one organization was behind them all. In any case, Hamas was quick to point the finger at Fatah networks which have continued operating in the Gaza Strip even after the Hamas takeover. A Hamas-affiliated website claimed that an organization calling itself “The Brigades of the Return,” whose members belong to Fatah, claimed responsibility for the attacks (Filastin al-‘An website, July 25).

The explosions and the many casualties were a blow to the prestige of Hamas, which since the takeover of the Gaza Strip last year has boasted that it returned security and stamped out anarchy. Therefore its response to Fatah, its main rival, was quick and angry, even though Fatah denied involvement in the explosions (See below).

The funeral services for Palestinians killed in the explosion
on the beach (Al-Aqsa TV, July 26).

Following the events, the Hamas police initiated a wave of detentions. More than 150 Fatah members were detained, among them former operatives of the PA security services and operatives of its military-terrorist wing. Hamas operatives also raided at least 45 Fatah institutions in the Gaza Strip, confiscating large quantities of equipment.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that most of the Palestinians who were detained had been released. He claimed that the raids on the Fatah institutions had been carried out for security reasons and that that large quantities of explosives had been found and confiscated. He also said that the institutions had been used for incitement [against Hamas] (PalMedia website, July 27). ³

 Hamas lashes out at Fatah

The recent explosions in the Gaza Strip led to a wave of furious verbal attacks by Hamas. One announcement stated that Hamas would not sit idly by while such actions proved that the call for a dialogue was nothing more than a ploy (Palestine-info website, July 26). Ismail Haniya's administration held an emergency meeting, during which calls were heard for the security forces to speed up their investigation and to bring those involved in the explosion to justice as quickly as possible.

Senior Hamas members made the following statements:

•  Mahmoud al-Zahar , speaking at the funeral of those killed in the explosion, said that Hamas had information which would lead to the capture of those involved who, he said, “would be imprisoned or executed.” He added that anyone who thought that security in the Gaza Strip had deteriorated “was out of his mind” (Ma'an News Agency, July 26).

•  Khalil al-Hayah , whose son was injured and whose nephew was killed in the blast in Gaza City , said that Fatah was directly responsible for the explosion and that the claim that it was the result of internal Hamas rivalries was not true. “ Those who plant charges should he hung on gallows in Gaza City ,” he said. However, he also said that the event would not affect the lull arrangement, which was still in force (Al-Aqsa TV, July 25).

Khalil al-Hayah: “Those who plant charges should be hanged”
(Al-Jazeera TV, July 25).

•  Fathi Hammad , a Hamas representative in the Palestinian Legislative Council, spoke at a demonstration held in the Jabaliya refugee camp to protest the events. He lashed out at Fatah and called for those involved to be executed, adding that “ we will smash the skulls of anyone who stands in our way, even if he is the president ” (Palestine-info website, July 26).

•  Sami Abu Zuhri , Hamas spokesman, said that the events were a serious escalation on the part of Fatah groups. He said that “the leaders of the traitorous group who are fleeing the Gaza Strip” were those who should bear full responsibility. He added that the sorrow expressed by Abu Mazen was meaningless in view of the celebrations held by the Palestinian TV and the praise for the crime expressed by Fatah members (PalMedia website, July 27).

•  Abu Obeida , Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades spokesman, accused Fatah (“the tail wagged by the Zionist occupation”) of being responsible for the events and threatened to kill the murderers and criminals involved. He said that those responsible for the explosions were working according to “the occupation's agenda” (Filastin al-‘An website, July 25).

PA and Fatah responses

Fatah heads publicly condemned the explosions and denied any involvement in them, condemning the wave of detentions and raids carried out by Hamas's security forces. Sources within Fatah claimed the deaths had resulted from internal Hamas rivalries. The Fatah leadership in the Gaza Strip issued an announcement condemning the use of violence (Ma'an News Agency, July 26). Abu Mazen and other Fatah/PLO leaders said the following:

•  Abu Mazen said that the event was dismaying, but he rejected the accusation that Fatah was responsible it. He said that Fatah sought to reunite Palestinian ranks in every way possible and that his organization rejected violence as a means of solving internal problems. He called for a committee to investigate the recent events in the Gaza Strip and promised to accept its findings (Middle East News Agency, July 27).

•  Ashraf Jumaa , a Fatah representative in the Palestinian Legislative Council, accused Israel of having been behind the explosion, claiming that Fatah was in no way connected to it. He called for an emergency meeting of Hamas and Fatah in the Gaza Strip “for the sake of national interests” and for a committee to be selected to investigate the incident (PalPress website, July 25).

•  Yasser Abd Rabbo , member of the PLO's executive committee, attacked Hamas, saying that the objective of the incidents was to prevent a national dialogue. He accused Hamas of wanting to use the lull agreement with Israel to make war on the Palestinian people (Wafa News Agency, July 26).

On the ground , the PA's security forces detained scores of Hamas operatives and supporters in the regions of Nablus , Tulkarm and Qalqilya. Among them were clerics and preachers, university lecturers, media figures and directors of government offices. Following the wave of detentions the Hamas media called upon the families of the detainees to protest. A high-ranking figure in the security forces in the Tulkarm region said that the detentions were not political and that all the detainees had been wanted by the security forces (Ma'an News Agency, July 27).

Confrontations between Hamas and the Army of Islam

On July 25 a bomb exploded at the Al-Jazeera Café in Gaza City , causing only the death of the terrorist. Following the explosion confrontations broke out between the Hamas police and Army of Islam operatives, suspected by Hamas of being responsible for the explosion. According to reports, during confrontations in Al-Sabra quarter of Gaza City , a number of Army operatives were wounded, and it is possible that one was killed (Filastin al-Yawm, July 27).

Official responsibility for the explosion was claimed by an organization calling itself Ansar al-Sunna , which stated that the café belonged to “those who were not faithful to the religion of Allah,” and that the organization would not act leniently with any person spreading “abominations” among Muslims (Ma'an News Agency, July 26). Since the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, radical Islamic groups and groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda have carried out an increasing number of attacks on targets identified with the West and its culture. ⁴

High-ranking Palestinians threaten to end the PA’s security program

PA chairman Abu Mazen threatened to inform Israel that if Israeli activities humiliating the PA's security forces in the West Bank continued, the PA security forces would withdraw from the cities and Israel would bear the responsibility alone (Wafa News Agency, July 22). He was joined by PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat , who said, however, that an end to Israeli-Palestinian security coordination had not been intended. PA prime minister Salam Fayyad also raised the possibility of ending the security program following Israeli activities in the West Bank, adding that the steps taken by Israel made it impossible to achieve a peace treaty by the end of the year (Wafa News Agency, July 22).

¹ For further information see our February 5, 2008 Bulletin entitled “Suicide bombing attack in the Dimona commercial center kills one city resident and wounds many” . (Video at http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/Infolive_tv_dimona.htm .)

² The shawaz (“flame”) charges are Hamas's homemade explosively formed projectiles which have higher penetrating capabilities than the projectiles in the hands of the other Palestinian terrorist organizations, and which are based on Iranian and/or Hezbollah technology.

³ In response to IDF counterterrorism activities against institutions belonging to the Hamas infrastructure (the da'wah ), Hamas claimed that they were all civilian institutions dealing with welfare issues. At the same time Hamas raided a scores of civilian Fatah institutions in the Gaza Strip, claiming they were used for military and propaganda activities.

⁴ For further information see our June 6, 2008 Bulletin entitled “An increase in attacks on Christian and institutions identified with the West in the Gaza Strip” .