| Prisoner Swap with Hezbollah, Truce in Gaza - Rumblings in the Middle East | | 2008-06-24 20:53:44 | | CNN: Israeli Cabinet to consider swap with Hezbollah
BBC: Rockets ‘violated Gaza ceasefire’
Reuters: More indirect Israel, Syria talks in July
Background
Israel has been negotiating on two and a half fronts recently. The first front is in the Palestinian territories, but specifically with Hamas in Gaza. The second and a half negotiations were with Hezbollah/Lebanon along with Syria.
Negotiations with Hamas have been ongoing since the 2006 abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and after the 2007 coup in which Hamas ousted its rival Fatah and took over the Gaza Strip. The eventual result was a ceasefire for Gaza which began Thursday. No one expected the truce to last long, however. That assertion was only confirmed today when Islamic Jihad militants launched rockets into southern Israel in retaliation for an Israeli air strike in the West Bank, which, if you don’t remember, is not part of the truce.
The second front has been much more interesting, not to mention more peacef | | By: Thoughts on the World | | |
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| A Ceize Fire in Gaza? | | 2008-06-20 10:34:13 | | Today at six am a seize fire commenced between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Actually while I was writing this I remembered that I did write the same words in the past and believed at that time that it was to be a serious seize fire that proved in the end to fail. The Israelis [...] | | By: Middle East Post | | |
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| Israel And Hamas Reach Gaza Truce Deal | | 2008-06-19 18:06:25 | | GAZA CITY:Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement have agreed to begin a Gaza truce in two days, Egyptian mediators said on Tuesday after months of negotiations to try to halt bloodshed in and around the impoverished territory.The first phase of the ceasefire will go into effect from 0300 GMT on Thursday, a senior Egyptian [...] | | By: Free Shared Mobile | | |
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| Al Qaeda activist reported killed in Israeli air strike in Gaza | | 2008-06-18 09:17:00 | | DEBKA - Palestinians claim that Momtaz Dughmush was among the eight Palestinian gunmen killed in three Israeli air force strikes in Gaza Tuesday, June 17, following Hamas bombardments on Monday, which averted a planned terrorist operation.DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources report that the Air Force targeted a vehicle carrying five al Qaeda-Palestine members in Khan Younes, in S. Gaza. They were all killed. Another three gunmen were killed in a second car at Deir al Balakh. Dughmush, who died in the first attack attack, was chief of the Qaeda cell attached to the Palestinian hard-line Popular Resistance Committees. Our sources name him as complicit with Hamas in the abduction of the Israeli soldier Gilead Shalit two years ago in a cross-border raid and the kidnap of the BBC correspondent Alan Johnson last year. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| NEFA Foundation Translation of Latest Zawahiri Recording: "Lift the Siege of Gaza!" | | 2008-06-07 18:48:52 | | The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a copy of an audio recording of Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri released by Al-Qaida’s official As-Sahab Media Wing on June 4, titled “On the Anniversary of the Disaster - A Call to Help Our People in Gaza.” During the recording, al-Zawahiri once again called upon “the sons of the Islamic nation [to] break the chains of the treacherous regimes and the impotent authorities [surrounding Israel] and set forth to join the battle and aid the...(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
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| Israel Will Move Into Gaza Very Soon, and Washington Knows It | | 2008-06-06 08:58:47 | | A newswire story today sounds the alarm on a probable Israeli incursion into Gaza to address repeated Hamas terrorist attacks into Israel. "Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Friday raised the spectre of a full-scale military operation in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip despite Egyptian attempts to mediate a truce. 'According to the information as it is now, the pendulum is much closer to tough military action,' Olmert told journalists on arrival in Israel following a three-day trip to the United States.'"...(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
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| New Documents from Emerging Palestinian Al-Qaida Faction in Gaza Strip | | 2008-06-02 05:30:00 | | Counterterrorism Blog - The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a communiqué and audio recording from an emerging branch of the Al-Qaida-aligned Fatah al-Islam movement based in the Gaza Strip. On January 12, 2008, the group issued a statement naming its local commander in the Palestinian territories as “Abu Abdelrahman al-Ghazzawi”, who it simply described as “a very kind brother, with much previous experience in jihad and deep-seeded roots in theology.” On February 12, 2008, Fatah al-Islam released the first known audio recording of Abu Abdelrahman al-Ghazzawi, in which he announced, “we shall commence our war from Palestine along with the Ansar and Muhajireen [emigrants and supporters] in order to unite our lines and to [honor] our slogans about battling the Jews who live near us—a jihad, in which there is no regard for clay and dirt… | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| NEFA Foundation: New Documents from Emerging Palestinian Al-Qaida Faction in Gaza Strip | | 2008-05-31 17:44:21 | | The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a communiqué and audio recording from an emerging branch of the Al-Qaida-aligned Fatah al-Islam movement based in the Gaza Strip. On January 12, 2008, the group issued a statement naming its local commander in the Palestinian territories as “Abu Abdelrahman al-Ghazzawi”, who it simply described as “a very kind brother, with much previous experience in jihad and deep-seeded roots in theology.” On February 12, 2008, Fatah al-Islam...(read more) | | By: An American Warning | | |
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| COSTS TO VETERANS, GAZA BLACKOUTS, CYCLONE AID, ROVIAN UPSTART, CEASE-FIRE | | 2008-05-11 23:15:00 | | (A Poetic Justice Photomontage)Cost of veterans' care set to soarThe wounded moved along the gorge,Down the path where silent vulturesSpanned their patient circles. Anxious to arrive,Their legs carried on until the sun doused its candle.Gaza blackouts as fuel runs lowThey call to each other across the gloom,The brave and long worn faces whoseHope is eaten away by the shadows.US flying cyclone aid to "outpost of tyranny"The gods and their tempest-spilled calamitySang their rages upon the border of crueltyAs mortal Achilles moved swift to dispatch Troilus.The Pundit Analyzing Obama? Some TV Upstart Named RoveThe swine of wretched dishonor still councilsHis treasonous lips upon the air with cunning;A viper offering snakebite remedies.Tenuous Cease-Fire Takes Hold in Sadr CityOn the other side of the city where the last shot was firedThe frail union started to wobble and thrash.Reports of this begin to move in a circle.© 2008 mrp/tpmRolling along "F"... Faith in Honest Doubt - Faithfully | | By: Poetic Justice (Dont burn the flag. Wash it!) | | |
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| Gaza rockets hit seminary, college in Israel | | 2008-05-10 06:29:00 | | PR - Inside -- The Israeli army says a rocket fired from Gaza fell next to a Jewish seminary in southern Israel and damaged the building.No one was hurt in Saturday's rocket strike in the border town of Sderot. The army says a second rocket fell in the courtyard of Sapir College in Sderot.The rockets attack came a day after mortar shells fired by the Islamic militant Hamas killed an Israeli man in an Israeli communal farm near Gaza. Israel fired missiles at two Hamas police station in relatiation and killed five Hamas members. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| Hamas suicide bombers attack Israel-Gaza crossing; 13 hurt | | 2008-04-19 11:05:02 | | KEREM SHALOM, Israel (AP) - Hamas suicide bombers detonated two booby-trapped jeeps at an Israeli border crossing Saturday in what a top army commander said was Hamas’ most ambitious attempt to target Israelis since Israel’s pullout from Gaza in 2005.
Thirteen soldiers were wounded and four Hamas assailants killed in the attack on the Kerem Shalom [...] | | By: TexasFred's | | |
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| Gaza: Periodista palestino de Reuters grabó su muerte | | 2008-04-17 11:35:33 | |
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Reportero de la agencia de noticias británica filmó el momento en que fue alcanzado por misil israelí.
Varios cientos de personas, entre ellas decenas de reporteros, participaron el jueves en el funeral de Fadel Chanaa, un periodista de la agencia británica Reuters muerto el miércoles por un disparo israelí en la franja de Gaza.
Los participantes en la ceremonia, entre ellos los compañeros del joven profesional fallecido, sacaron el cuerpo de este último cubierto por una bandera palestina del hospital Chiffa de Gaza. Llevaban además en una camilla la cámara rota y el chaleco antibalas, aún cubierto de sangre, del periodista, que tenía 23 años.
Otros exhibían varios retratos del joven. "No al asesinato de periodistas", "Los periodistas seguirán con su trabajo", "El asesinato de Fadel es una cicatriz en el rostro de la ocupación", se podía leer en pancartas en árabe e inglés.
En el funeral participaban asimismo responsables políti | | By: Suriel de la jungla perdida. | | |
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| Thousands attend funerals in Gaza | | 2008-04-17 00:04:39 | | Funerals are taking place for those killed in Gaza Wednesday as Hamas vows to avenge their deaths.
A news by AsianLoveStories.com.
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addthis_pub = 'asianlove'; | | By: Love stories | | |
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| Gaza unrest leaves 22 dead | | 2008-04-17 00:04:00 | | At least 22 people are killed in the worst day of violence across the Gaza Strip for more than a month.
A news by AsianLoveStories.com.
addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fasianlovestories.com%2Fgaza-unrest-leaves-22-dead';
addthis_title = 'Gaza+unrest+leaves+22+dead';
addthis_pub = 'asianlove'; | | By: Love stories | | |
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| Gaza | | 2008-04-16 17:35:06 | | Un cámara de Reuters y dos civiles más mueren en Gaza. El cámara de 23 años Fadel Shana y dos civiles palestinos han perdido la vida en un carretera de Gaza. El vehículo del cámara, debidamente identificado como TV, y los dos civiles que pasaban a su lado fueron alcanzados por el disparo de un tanque israelí.La muerte de tres soldados israelís en una emboscada, desato una vez más la violencia en Gaza. Consecuencia 17 palestinos muertos entre ellos cinco niños. No avanzamos nada.
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| Dunia bertanggungjawab akibat daripada tidak peduli tragedi Gaza. | | 2008-04-06 19:05:00 | | palestinkini - Pergerakan Hamas memberi amaran bahawa dengan sikap tidak ambil peduli akan masalah kemanusiaan di Gaza, negara-negara Arab dan komuniti antarabangsa akan menanggung akibat yang serius serta dunia harus dipertanggung jawabkan diatas kesan dariapda sikap ini.Didalam kenyataan akhbar yang diterima oleh PIC, jurucakap Hamas, Fawzi Barhoum, menggariskan kegagalan berterusan pihak Arab | | By: No2umnO | | |
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| Bayan dari Al-Ikhwanul Muslimin Tentang Penghancuran dan Pembantaian yang Ditebarkan oleh Zionis Terhadap warga Palestina di Gaza | | 2008-03-27 03:06:00 | | Al-Ikhwan.net | 11 March 2008 | 4 Rabiul Awal 1429 H | Hits: 397 DR. Muhammad Mahdi Akif Kirim ke teman | Print Ikhwan kita di Palestina sejak zaman penjajahan Inggris yang menjadi pemrakarsa konspirasi internasional yang bertujuan mengosongkan bumi Palestina dari terhadap warga aslinya dengan berbagai macam sarana; pembunuhan, terror dan pengusiran, guna mendirikan Negara Yahudi zionis, sehingga warga Palestina melakukan perlawanan yang sengit terhadap rekayasa tersebut dalam berbagai macam perlawanan bangsa yang dahsyat sehingga banyak berjatuhan hingga ribuan syuhada dan korban, namun kekuatan internasional yang dzalim lebih besar dari kemampuan mereka dalam melakukan perlawanan dan permohonan pertolongan yang disampaikan kepada Negara-negara tetangga arab. Kejahatan ini adalah merupakan awal dari proyek Amerika zionis yang ingin menguasai lokasi, memetak-metakan Negara-negaranya dan merampas sumber daya alamnya, menghilangkan komitmen, nilai-nilai dan peradaban Islam ya | | By: Sucikan Hati, Bersihkan Diri! | | |
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| Israel places Lebanese, Syrian, Gaza borders, its cities and highways on high terror alert | | 2008-03-10 15:10:00 | | Israeli intelligence has warned that in the interim Hamas and Jihad Islami would make every effort to ignite the Gaza front in order to unite the Arab rulers behind a dramatic Arab resolution in support of the Palestinian Islamists. This tactic would transfer the Gaza issue’s center of gravity from Cairo, which is brokering a Hamas-Israel ceasefire deal, to radical Damascus.Egged on by Syria and Iran, Hamas keeps on stalling this track and raising its demands.the coming Arab League summit will for the first time host an Iranian head of state. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be seated beside Syrian president Bashar Assad as guest of honor to parade the Tehran-Damascus axis’ pre-eminent role in Arab Middle East affairs, with Iran setting the pace. More... | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| El homicidio de civiles palestinos en Gaza debe cesar | | 2008-03-10 07:17:22 | | Más de 100 palestinos muertos en sólo una semana.
Los ataques del ejército israelí contra la franja de Gaza entre el 27 de febrero y el 3 marzo han causado la muerte a más de 100 palestinos. Más de la mitad de ellos, civiles, y al menos 25 eran menores.
Desde que empezó el año, las [...] | | By: CuervoBlanco | | |
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| Amnesty International: Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza worst since 1967 | | 2008-03-06 06:13:18 | | The situation in the Gaza Strip is worse now than it has been since Israel has occupied the West Bank in 1967, a report by Amnesty International and other human rights groups revealed Thursday. credit. Amnesty internationals Report on Gaza Humanitarian CrisisIsrael's blockade of the Gaza Strip has created the worst humanitarian crisis ... food shortages, crumbling health services and a water and sewage system close to collapse are all part of the daily misery facing 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza.Gaza is forced to become the biggest concentration camp and an enclave held hostage by the Israeli embargo, which it said had worsened poverty and unemployment, crippled education services and made 1.1 million people -- 80 percent of the population -- dependent on food aid.the health system was in tatters, with hospitals facing daily power cuts lasting eight to 12 hours a day due to fuel and electricity restrictions. Aid groups and legal experts have called Israel's blockade illegal under i | | By: Inspirations and Creative Thoughts | | |
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| Statement on Gaza Bill, by US Rep. Ron Paul | | 2008-03-05 00:00:00 | | Madam Speaker: I rise in opposition to H. Res. 951. As one who is consistently against war and violence, I obviously do not support the firing of rockets indiscriminately into civilian populations. I believe it is appalling that Palestinians are firing rockets that harm innocent Israelis, just as I believe it is appalling that Israel fires missiles into Palestinian areas where children and other non-combatants are killed and injured.
Unfortunately, legislation such as this is more likely to perpetuate violence in the Middle East than contribute to its abatement. It is our continued involvement and intervention – particularly when it appears to be one-sided – that reduces the incentive for opposing sides to reach a lasting peace agreement.
read more | | By: from Reason to Freedom | | |
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| Long-range rockets fired from Gaza are Iranian: Israel army | | 2008-03-04 06:53:00 | | A senior military intelligence official said that over 20 Katyusha-type rockets, also known as Grad, were fired against Israel since last Thursday. "We are talking about regular Iranian-made rockets," an official quoted the intelligence official as saying.The 122-millimetre rockets have a range of about 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) and carry a large payload which caused heavy damage to buildings in the southern coastal town of Ashkelon, which bore the brunt of the Grad rocket fire.Israel believes that over 100 such rockets were smuggled into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip through its porous border with Egypt in recent months following the Hamas violent takeover of the territory. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| Egyptian Chopper Strays Over Gaza | | 2008-03-03 13:55:00 | | The pilot of an Egyptian helicopter lost in the fog found himself over the Gaza Strip and under fire from Hamas militants Monday until Israeli warplanes escorted his aircraft back across the border.Hamas mistook the Egyptian aircraft for an Apache attack helicopter used by Israel in airstrikes and tried to shoot it down. The Israeli military said its radar picked up an unidentified aircraft crossing into Gaza airspace, which Israel controls. Fearing an attack, Israel scrambled jet fighters to investigate. After a few tense minutes, Israeli radio operators contacted the pilot, who said he had lost his way.An Egyptian security official said the aircraft belonged to an oil company, while an Israeli defense official said it was a military helicopter. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| EU Joins Gaza Outcry Says Isreili Action “Contrary to International Law” | | 2008-03-02 09:36:00 | | The European Community has joined the UN in it’s condemnation of the recent military action and ongoing fighting between Israel and Palestinians fighters in the Gaza stripThe EU issued a statement urging Israel to halt its military activities saying that the actions being taken by Israel are “contrary to international law”.Like the UN the EU statement also deplored rocket fire from Gaza “The Presidency rejects collective punishment of the people of Gaza. We are deeply worried about the suffering of the civilian population on (the) Israeli and Palestinian side" it said. Source: www.breakingnews.ie | | By: Stroke News - We can change your life | | |
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| Israel aims to stamp out missile jihad by destroying Hamas rule of Gaza | | 2008-03-02 03:51:00 | | DEBKAfile’s military sources report the Israeli military command is now targeting Hamas rule of the Gaza Strip as ultimately the only effective way of halting the Palestinian missile offensive against civilian locations. It therefore proposes to systematically destroy Hamas institutions one by one until its rule of Gaza caves in.The IDF has now set itself the following targets:Every Palestinian military and security installation belonging to Hamas, as well as its Al Dawa social welfare branches used as meeting places and the money changers’ places of business.A series of ground operations on the same lines as the Sejayia raid will be launched to drive Hamas and its allied terrorist groups out of northern Gaza – the sites of most missile launches against Ashkelon and Sderot. Once this part of the territory is purged, Israeli military control can be exercised without reoccupation.DEBKAfile’s Palestinian sources report that Hamas leaders are well aware of the IDF’s revamped tact | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| Gaza, sábado negro | | 2008-03-01 21:33:23 | | El viceministro de Defensa israelí, Matan Vilnai, advirtió a los palestinos de que provocarán un "holocausto mayor" contra sí mismos si continúa y se intensifica el lanzamiento de cohetes contra Israel desde la franja de Gaza. El ejercito israelí se puso en marcha y el resultado, más de 60 palestinos muertos y más de 200 heridos entre las victimas mujeres y niños.El presidente de la Autoridad Palestina, Mahmoud Abbas, ha dicho que la ofensiva israelí en Gaza es "más grave que un holocausto" y ha supuesto la suspensión de las conversaciones de paz.La espiral de la violencia se ha puesto una vez más en marcha, en una zona ya de por sí inestable, Israel, Palestina, Libano, ¿para cuándo una paz definitiva y para todos?.[Foto | AFP/elpais.com]
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| Fresh Israeli Gaza Raids Kill Another 26 | | 2008-03-01 05:57:00 | | Fresh raids on Gaza by Israeli forces have so far killed 26 according to medical sources in the strip who say that 4 children form the ages of 9 to 16 were among the dead.Five Israeli troops were slightly injured in fighting when they entered the northern area of Gaza with tanks. BBC reporters in the region report numerous civilian casualties among the Palestinian population.The latest attacks bring the death toll to 50 Palestinians and one Israeli killed since Wednesday Source: news.bbc.co.uk | | By: Stroke News - We can change your life | | |
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| Gaza: better shape than Egypt | | 2008-02-19 04:14:00 | | A little travel has gone a long way toward changing perceptions in Gaza. After excursions to Egypt across a border breached by Hamas militants, some Palestinians pepper their local Arabic dialect with Egyptian expressions while others say they are shocked by the poverty there.A trickle of Egyptians also made it into Gaza. Mohammed, an Egyptian truck driver who rented his truck to Palestinians to ferry goods into Gaza, pointed to cars crowding a nearby street and said: “I thought conditions here would be harder than this. I thought people would be starving.” | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| Give Gaza to Egypt | | 2008-02-12 11:21:00 | | Daniel Pipes - On January 23, Hamas pulled down large segments of the 12-km long, 13-meter high border wall separating Gaza from Egypt, dragging Cairo into the picture.What might Western states now do? The border breaching, ironically, offers an opportunity to clean up a mess.Washington and other capitals should declare the experiment in Gazan self-rule a failure and press President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt to help, perhaps providing Gaza with additional land or even annexing it as a province. This would revert to the situation of 1948-67, except this time Cairo would not keep Gaza at arm's length but take responsibility for it.Culturally, this connection is a natural: Gazans speak a colloquial Arabic identical to the Egyptians of Sinai, have more family ties to Egypt than to the West Bank, and are economically more tied to Egypt (recall the many smugglers' tunnels). Further, Hamas derives from an Egyptian organization, the Muslim Brethren.Why not formalize the Egyptian connection? Among | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| News: A Visit to a Gaza Rocket Factory | | 2008-01-30 03:09:33 | | The young man pulls the door of the taxi closed. He is wet. There is a light drizzle in the Gaza Strip. He turns around and greets the passengers in the back seat with a quick handshake. "Are you ready?" he asks them. "As of this moment, we could be going to paradise at any time." The other people in the car don't respond, and the driver of the Mercedes hits the gas. "I should have phoned my wife," he says after a while. "She should start to keep an eye out for a new husband." (full article)Source: The Road Daily. Picture courtesy Der Spiegel
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| Gaza Merintih, Di Mana Sisi Kemanusiaan? | | 2008-01-24 18:41:10 | | dakwatuna.com - Pagi hari ini (21/1/2008 | 12 Muharram 1429 H - ), saya mendapatkan SMS yang berbunyi, “Saudaraku, bangun, berwudlu dan segera shalatlah setelah membaca SMS ini, karena informasi dari seorang mujahid Palestina masuk jam 01.57 WIB, yang berbunyi; “Sekarang seluruh Gaza mati lampu total dan sirene tanda bahaya berbunyi tanda serangan, HAMAS di [...] | | By: DI Jalan Da'wah Kami Melangkah | | |
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| Hamas TV says group has new anti-aircraft unit in Gaza | | 2007-12-26 05:48:00 | | Hamas's military wing has a new anti-aircraft unit intended to combat IAF aircraft operating over the Gaza Strip Channel 10 reported Friday evening.In footage broadcast on Hamas's TV station, operatives were seen wearing uniforms bearing an emblem that read "Anti-Aircraft Force."Channel 10 said that the new unit was believed to be in possession of anti-aircraft missiles. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| Hamas Is Producing a New Generation of Palestinian Extra-Power, Extra-Range Missiles in Gaza and West Bank | | 2007-11-10 13:05:00 | | In the last few weeks, the Palestinian Islamist Hamas has succeeded in tricking Israeli military intelligence into believing that the IDF forays behind the lines in Gaza had slowed down their Qassam missile offensive against Israeli towns and villages.It was a ruse. DEBKAfile’s military sources disclose that stocks of the primitive Qassam missiles are low because Hamas has stopped making them and is now fully engaged in setting up the production of a new generation of missiles upgraded to a range of up to 25 km, armed with 3-kilo warheads - one-and a half times the range of the types in current use and more than double their explosive power - and greater accuracy.Production lines are also going up in several towns on the West Bank, the territory governed by Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority. According to intelligence sources, the Hamas target is to turn out enough new missiles in 4 to 6 weeks – preferably in time for the US-promoted Middle East conference in Annapolis at the e | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| Gaza: Christian Bookstore Owner Was Tortured Before His Death | | 2007-10-16 20:58:00 | | The owner of a Christian bookstore in the Gaza Strip who was found dead this weekend was publicly beaten by Islamic gunmen accusing him of spreading Christianity, witnesses and Palestinian Arab security officials said. The body of Rami Ayyad, director of Gaza's only Christian bookstore, was found Sunday riddled with gunshot and stab wounds. He had been abducted the night before as he closed his shop, a local Christian group said.Gaza-based Islamic groups had accused Ayyad, a Baptist, of engaging in missionary activity. His bookstore was firebombed in April, and since then Ayyad had told relatives he was receiving death threats from Islamists.Witnesses and security officials associated with Hamas's so-called Executive Force told The New York Sun that Ayyad was publicly beaten a few blocks from his store before being shot to death. Hamas security sources said Ayyad's body showed signs of torture. | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| Israel's Mistaken Gaza Approach | | 2007-09-06 03:10:51 | | Israel is considering a power cut in Gaza in retaliation for a rocket attack that almost hit a kindergarten in a town called Sderot. This may not be the best option, but considering Israel’s current strategy, it could be the best option.Israel’s current strategyIsrael has been attempting to isolate Hamas and make their government in Gaza look like a failure. Israel, the U.S., and other western powers have been bolstering Mahmoud Abbas’s (semi-)democratic government in the West Bank to solidify this image.It hasn’t been going so well. Gaza hasn’t been a failure, but it hasn’t been a success either. But because of an international boycott of trade with Gaza, it will be a failure soon. Gaza isn’t getting basic supplies, and Gaza is being torn apart by it.A power cut would hasten Gaza’s downfall, but it would help to continue to alienate the one group of Palestinians that support’s Israel: the merchants. More on this later.But if Israel is to continue its current policy, | | By: Thoughts on the World | | |
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| Gaza clinics closed, retaliation for doctor strikes | | 2007-09-05 18:48:00 | | Four private clinics in the Gaza Strip were closed on Tuesday after doctors staged work stoppages in protest at how Hamas was running the enclave's health system.Earlier this month, Hamas sacked the head of Gaza's Shifa hospital and briefly detained one of its directors. This prompted widespread protests by hospital staff who oppose Hamas attempts to tighten control of health institutions.Hamas has accused Fatah of inciting public employees to commit acts of civil disobedience to undermine its rule in Gaza.Since Hamas took over Gaza, many institutions have been in a state of confusion, with rival directors, appointed respectively by the Islamists and Fatah, insisting they are in charge. More... | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| Egypt's options when it comes to Hamas' control over Gaza | | 2007-07-17 22:47:00 | | Hamas' control over the Gaza Strip is posing new challenges for Egypt. The least of these challenges is the concern that Hamas' rule over Gaza would benefit Egypt's banned Islamic movements, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas' control over Gaza brings to Egyptian borders two security threats that have been, for years, kept at bay. Hamas' seizure of Gaza is likely to grant Iran additional access to the core of the Middle East. The cornered Hamas is likely to consolidate its alliance with Iran, which would bring the rising tension between Iran, the United States and Israel closer to Egypt. More... | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| BBC's Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston released | | 2007-07-04 08:43:04 | | From the BBC:BBC correspondent Alan Johnston has been released by kidnappers in Gaza after nearly four months in captivity. He said it was "fantastic" to be free after an "appalling experience". TV footage showed Mr Johnston, 45, leaving a building accompanied by armed men. He later appeared beside Hamas leader Ismail Haniya and thanked everyone who had worked for his release. Rallies worldwide had called for Mr Johnston's release. An online petition was signed by some 200,000 people. The BBC reporter was handed over to officials of the Hamas administration in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Gunmen from the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement overran Gaza last month, expelling their rivals from the Fatah faction. Mr Johnston was abducted on 12 March by the Army of Islam, a shadowy militant group dominated by Gaza's powerful Dugmush clan. moreNBC adds:There was no immediate comment from Johnston’s captors, the Army of Islam.Hamas had demanded Johnston’s freedom since | | By: Dyre Portents | | |
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| Hamas Completes Gaza Takover, Fatah Men Flee to Egypt | | 2007-06-14 17:57:00 | | Hamas continued its campaign of destroying Fatah in Gaza and killings its leading officials. Hamas terrorists fired mortar shells and rockets at the three remaining Fatah compounds in Gaza City – those of the PA’s Preventive Security Service, Intelligence Service and the Presidential Guard, as well as Fatah chief and Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s main compound. Hamas said it was in control of the Preventative Security compound and would be holding Friday's Islamic prayers in Abbas's former office. In Rafiah, Hamas blew up the Fatah headquarters and declared it had taken over the town. Fatah was beaten so badly that Egyptian reports said 40 PA officers broke through the Gaza-Egypt border fence and fled to Sinai for safety. The Hamas-affiliated Popular Resistance Committee announced Thursday that it had taken control of the border to prevent weapons smuggling (to Fatah) and mass emigration by local Gazans. More...Hamas to convert Palestinian Security HQ into mosq | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| All Hell breaks out in Gaza | | 2007-06-13 17:27:38 | | It looks like Hamas is going to take over the Gaza Strip and let The Fath take the West Bank. In an all out Civil War, Hams and Fatah are in battles all over Gaza. Hamas has taken the North...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] | | By: Stix Blog | | |
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| Civil War in Gaza | | 2007-06-12 17:27:00 | | More than 100 Arabs killed by Arabs in last three days, mortar shells at Abu Mazen's office, and a rocket at Hamas PM Haniye's home, what has until now been known as "violence" is now widely being called, even in Gaza, all-out civil war. The fighting in Gaza is now in its latest and most severe round since it broke out well over a year ago. More... | | By: THE NEW BABYLON TIMES | | |
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| Valentine's Day in Gaza | | 2007-02-20 07:00:00 | | BBS NewsMany young Palestinians are not as optimistic for Valentine's Day as youths around the world?possibly for religious reasons, but more likely due to the suffocating political and security reality in the Gaza Strip.
Arab societies like Palestine in the past did not customarily celebrate Valentine's
Day, a small number of people, in certain areas of occupied Palestine, nonetheless, now do
celebrate it... | | By: The Flower Expert - Flowers Encyclopedia | | |
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| Bloodbath in Gaza: Hamas Urges Attacks Against America | | 2006-11-08 18:14:00 | | Hamas' exiled leader, Khaled Mashaal, says a 2005 truce with Israel is finished and appealed to all Palestinian factions to resume attacks: "There must be a roaring reaction so that we avenge all those victims." Israeli tank shells ripped through a residential neighborhood in the northern Gaza Strip early Wednesday, killing at least 18 members of an extended family, including eight children as | | By: The Truth | | |
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