Hamas

The Hamas-initiated tension along the Gaza Strip border, which has continued for nearly a month, apparently came to an end this past week. On the night of August 31, 2020, after several rounds of mediation conducted by the Qatari representative, Hamas announced both sides had agreed to end the escalation and return to the status quo ante.According to the Lebanese and Palestinian media, the understandings reached included the following: the renewal of the fuel deliveries, the delivery of medical equipment necessary to deal with Covid-19, an increase in the amount of electricity, the full restoration of the fishing zone, and beginning the international "strategic projects" in the industrial zone. Read more...

This past week Hamas-initiated tension and the deterioration of the security situation in the Gaza Strip continued. The events focused on the launching of IED and incendiary balloons which daily cause dozens of fires near Israeli communities. On August 24, 2020 four active cases of Covid-19 were detected in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip; all four were members of the same family. They were the first Covid-19 cases detected inside the Gaza Strip which were not brought in through the crossings. Will the worsening of the Covid-19 crisis in Gaza relax the current tension or increase Hamas pressure on Israel to the point of escalation? So far there is no answer. Read more...