- 15 nov 2010
Islamic thinker: Hamas resisting occupation according to Arab-Islamic agenda
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Islamic thinker Dr. Mohammed Saleem Al-Awa denounced claims that the Hamas resistance movement in Palestine was complying with Iranian agendas, confirming that Hamas represents the Arab-Islamic agenda in occupied Palestine.
Awa said, lecturing at the Rabia Adawia mosque in Cairo titled The Islamic Conquest of Egypt, staged by the Egypt Society for Culture and Dialogue: Hamas has no choice but to resist the occupation to materialize independence and liberate Palestine, and so [the group] represents an Arab-Islamic agenda, and not an Iranian [one].
Commenting on recent accusations from the west that Azhar was spreading extremism, he said: That is absurd talk How many terrorists has Azhar produced in history? Is Osama bin Laden or anyone like him an Azhar graduate?
Touching on the recent attack on Islam, Awa added: Muslims must set right their circumstances and work to improve Islam's image.
http://bit.ly/cAd1jT 19 jan 2012, 21:10 , Respect -
Maria 16 nov 2010
Qassam rocket hits Sdot Negev Regional Council
A Qassam rocket was found in a greenhouse at the Sdot Negev Regional Council Tuesday morning. No injuries were reported, however damage was caused to the site.
The rocket was likely fired Monday night but was not alerted on the Color Red system due to the fog.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3985364,00.html 19 jan 2012, 21:10 , Respect -
Maria 17 nov 2010
Islamic Jihad Fighters Clash With Israeli Troops in Gaza
The al-Quds Brigades told Ma'an News, on Tuesday, that their forces fought off Israeli military that entered the Gaza Strip at dawn.
A statement by Islamic Jihad's military wing claimed that fighters fired on Israeli forces with mortar shells, in an exchange that lasted for approximately 15 minutes, north of al-Qarara, near the city of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.
Israeli troops were reportedly forced to withdraw to the Kisufim military base.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59922
PA says it foiled Hamas plot to kill governor
NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Palestinian Authority forces arrested Hamas members who were plotting to kill the governor of the West Bank city of Nablus, Jibrin Al-Bakri, PA officials claimed Wednesday.
The officials, who declined to be identified, said the group that hatched the alleged plot was based in Nablus with a network extending throughout the northern West Bank. PA forces raided the group's headquarters, seizing weapons and cash, they said.
The group were said to be members of Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, who were in direct contact with the Hamas-run government in Gaza.
Hamas officials in Gaza were unavailable for comment.
In addition to the alleged assassination plot, the group also planned to kidnap Israeli settlers, and launch suicide attacks on Israeli targets in Jerusalem, in an effort to destabilize the situation in the West Bank, the officials said.
PA forces also discovered in the group's possession a booby-trapped car which they said was to be used in a suicide bombing.
Over the past three years, operations by the Israeli army and the PA have all but eliminated armed paramilitary groups in the West Bank, especially those affiliated with Hamas.
The Fatah-dominated PA launched a major clampdown on Hamas' political and military wings after the Islamist group took full control of Gaza in June 2007.
In a speech in Gaza on the occasion of the Eid Al-Adha holiday on Tuesday, Hamas-affiliated Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said his movement was still open to reconciliation with Fatah.
On Monday the Israeli military announced it raided the home of an alleged member of Hamas' finance network in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, seizing cash, cars, computers, jewelry, and other valuables.
http://maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=333983 19 jan 2012, 21:10 , Respect -
Maria 18 nov 2010
Two Mortar Shells Launched at Israel, a Day After the Israeli Airstrike
On Thursday, two mortar shells from Gaza landed in the southern district of Israel, adjacent to the Strip. No injuries were caused, Ma'an reported.
According to an Israeli spokeswoman, the shells landed in the territory of the Eshkol Regional Council, in the north-west Negev. Ma'an reported that there was no immediate claim of responsibility from Palestinian armed groups in Gaza.
The news comes a day after the Israeli airstrike that killed two brothers, Muhammad and Islam Yassin, in the centre of Gaza City. The two victims were believed to be members of the salafist Army of Islam and according to the Israeli military, they were preparing to attack Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
In addition, two weeks ago Israeli forces also killed another man, Muhammad Nimnim, under the explanation that he was a senior member in the Army of Islam.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59943
Zahhar rebuts claims of attempted assassination of Nablus mayor
GAZA, (PIC)-- Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al Zahhar refuted Wednesday allegations by the Palestinian Authority security that his Movement was behind a plan to assassinate the mayor of the West Bank city of Nablus.
It is not from Hamas's politics to employ this kind of action and it does not adopt this logic in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, Zahhar told Al-Jazeera Net.
Zahhar considered these claims as an attempt to justify Fatah faction's escape from national reconciliation and continued abuse of Hamas supporters in the West Bank.
Nablus mayor Jibrin Al Bakri claimed earlier that PA security forces foiled a plan by Hamas's armed wing to liquidate him.
The PA militia said it has placed in its custody a cell from Al-Qassam Brigades that was on the verge of carrying out the hit.
PA officials alleged that they confiscated an undisclosed amount of weapons and cash that were found in the possession of elements from the cell.
The list of claims came directly after Israel handed over the city of Nablus to the PA for full security responsibility, a move that the Israeli newspaper Maariv said would require the PA militia to conduct prior security coordination with the Israeli army before carrying out military activities in the city.
http://bit.ly/blejim 19 jan 2012, 21:10 , Respect -
Maria 19 nov 2010
Group Reportedly Linked To Al-Qaida Vows To Avenge Two Gunmen
A group known as the Ansar Al Sunna, a fundamentalist group that rivals the Hamas movement in Gaza, published a 30-second recording in Hebrew vowing to avenge the death of two gunmen who were killed this month in Gaza.
This marks the first time the group published anything in the Hebrew language.
In the recording, a disguised voice of a male vows that the aggressor Jews will not enjoy peace and security in the land of Palestine until they leave it.
He also identifies himself as a member of the Ansar Al Sunna Supporters, a group that Hamas has repeatedly attacked using excessive military might.
The speaker vowed that his group will avenge the death of two fighters who were assassinated by the Israeli army on November 3 and 17. The two are believed to be leaders of the Army of Islam.
Israel claims that the two were planning attacks targeting Israelis touring in Sinai.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59950
7 mortar shells fired at western Negev
Escalation in south continues after Grad rocket, two Qassams fired from Gaza on Thursday night. Mortars hits open area; no injuries or damage reported. Army of Islam members go into hiding. PRC: Rocket fire a response to 'Israel's crimes'
Seven mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip at the western Negev and Gaza vicinity communities on Friday afternoon. Three of the mortars hit open areas in the Eshkol Regional Council, and the other four - fired an hour later - landed in open areas in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
A Grad rocket fired from Gaza on Thursday night exploded in an open area in the Merhavim Regional Council, near the southern town of Ofakim. Three cows were injured and a cattle-shed sustained damage.
This was the first Grad rocket to be fired from the Gaza Strip since July, and the first to hit the Ofakim area since Operation Cast Lead.
On Thursday evening, a Qassam rocket exploded in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council. At around 4:30 am, Palestinians fired another Qassam, this time at the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council. A blast was heard in the area, although the rocket landed near the Palestinian side of the border fence. There were no reports of injuries or damage in both incidents.
The escalation in the south follows the assassination of two senior members of the al-Qaeda affiliated Army of Islam group by the Israel Defense Forces earlier this month.
Abu Mujahed, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees in Gaza, said that "the firing by Palestinian organizations from the Gaza Strip is part of our right to respond to the Israeli crimes and the recent assassinations."
According to Abu Mujahed, "The rocket fire is a response to the crimes against our people. it is clear to us that today Army of Islam members are being hurt, and tomorrow it will be us and then another organization."
A source affiliated with Army of Islam noted that the group members had gone into hiding, fearing for their safety. The source told the London-based Arabic-language al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper that the activists were taking strict precautions, were not seen in public, and avoided using any communication devices for fear of being followed.
'Israel's claims groundless'
Abu Mujahed claimed that since the firing of rockets on Eilat and Aqaba three months ago, "We see the Israelis' attempts to prepare the ground and create an infrastructure of groundless excuses. But as far as we are concerned, these excuses will be used by Israel in order to launch an offensive against the Strip, which we believe is drawing closer."
Grad landing site. 'We have the means to respond' (Photo: Eliad Levy)
The PRC spokesman added that Israeli media reports and evaluations of defense officials "prove that the Israelis are seeking to prepare the ground for an offensive, and they must bear the consequences of such an offensive. We won't sit idle and we have the means to respond and deal with the expected attack. Israel began the assassinations and Israel must endure the response," he clarified.
The Hamas organization pointed a finger at Israel as well, accusing the Jewish state of attempting to ignite the situation on the Gaza border using unfounded claims about Hamas' activity in Sinai.
"It's unclear if this is an attempt to justify the failure of the negotiations or an attempt to sacrifice the Strip for the sake of the talks. In any event, this is a clear Israeli attempt to drag the Palestinians in the Strip to respond to the Israeli crimes," a group source said.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3987012,00.html
Long-range rocket fired from Gaza into Israel: army
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- A long-range rocket fired on Friday from Gaza into Israel exploded near the Negev desert town of Ofakim without causing any casualties, Israel's military said.
The Soviet-designed Grad-type rocket damaged a tanker truck in the attack, which was "the first of its kind for several months," a military spokesman said.
Grad-type rockets have a range of up to 40 kilometres, about twice the distance of the homemade Qassam rockets usually used by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
The attack came hours after local police said Israeli warplanes bombed the shoreline south of Gaza City, where a loud explosion was heard in Gaza just after 1 a.m.
A policeman stationed near Gaza's port said he saw a missile coming from the north explode in the sky overhead.
One day earlier, two mortar shells fired from Gaza hit southern Israel, causing no casualties or damage, and a day before that an Israeli air strike killed an alleged senior Palestinian militant in Gaza City.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=334146 19 jan 2012, 21:11 , Respect -
Maria 20 nov 2010
PFLP says projectiles fired toward Israel
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The militant wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine's General Command said fighters launched four mortar shells at Israeli targets on Saturday morning.
The launch came following the second Israeli airstrike in 12 hours, which hit smuggling tunnels in the southern sector of the coastal enclave.
Israeli military officials said the strike came in response to continued projectile fire from Gaza.
The militant group, the Jihad Jibreel Brigades, said the latest projectile launch came as a response to the assassination of brothers Islam and Muhammad Yassin, killed by a drone strike on Wednesday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=334257
Israeli forces close village searching for Molotov thrower
NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces entered the Nablus-area village of Madama on Wednesday night, searching for young residents allegedly behind a Molotov Cocktail-throwing incident earlier in the day.
Member of the local village council Hasan Ziyadeh said that during the raid soldiers closed down the town, preventing residents from leaving their homes and searched several residential buildings under the cover of gunfire before detaining one man.
Twenty-four-year-old Amir Nassar, the official said, was taken from his home by one of the ten military vehicles which entered the village during the raid. The official said he believed soldiers were looking for rock-throwers.
Amid the chaos of the raid, Ziyadeh said, ambulances could be heard heading to a nearby settlement.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said two Molotov Cocktails were thrown toward a settler road in the area, prompting troops to search for those behind the incident. She said the man detained was suspected of involvement in the incident.
http://maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=334055
Palestinian resistance target an IOF army jeep
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) declared responsibility for the attack on Thursday evening that targeted an IOF army jeep to the north of Beit Lahia.
http://bit.ly/9UZeNA
Hamas on Qassam anniversary: Resistance is legitimate
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Hamas said that martyr Sheikh Ezzedin Al-Qassam, who traveled from Syria to fight the British occupation of Palestine, and before him Salahuddin Al-Ayubi, who liberated the Aqsa, posed as sheer proof that Palestine is an Arab, Islamic cause.
Hamas, in a statement on Saturday commemorating the 75th martyrdom anniversary of Sheikh Qassam, said that the attempts to absent the Arab and Islamic depth of Palestine would end up in failure.
It warned that conspiring to liquidate the Palestine cause or to give up an inch of its land would be considered a "national crime" and a stab in the back of those martyrs who died while defending Palestine.
Hamas stressed that resistance is a legitimate right for the Palestinian people as long as occupation remained on Palestinian land, adding that any settlement projects that concede rights and bargain over constants would not bind the Palestinian people.
For his part, Abu Obaida, the spokesman of the Qassam Brigades the armed wing of Hamas, stated in a press statement in Gaza on Friday that the Palestinian Mujahideen would continue along the path of Sheikh Qassam until final victory.
He described those who believe in peace with Israeli occupation and hope to achieve independence through begging "oppressive nations" as "living an illusion", adding that there is no other way than that trekked by Sheikh Qassam namely resistance.
Sheikh Qassam was killed by British occupation soldiers on 20/11/1936 when he was encircled along with 14 of his comrades near Yaabad village, Jenin district.
http://bit.ly/9C6t8w 19 jan 2012, 21:11 , Respect -
Maria 21 nov 2010
Masri denounces Hammad's anti resistance statements
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas MP Mushir Al-Masri lashed out at Nimir Hammad, the political advisor to de facto Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, for incriminating Palestinian resistance.
Masri told the PIC in an exclusive statement on Sunday that the Fatah authority in Ramallah was still insisting on providing the "Zionist enemy" with more covers and justifications to justify its attacks against the Palestinian people.
Hammad told an Egyptian daily published on Sunday that resistance in Palestine committed mistakes in the past, and championed peaceful resistance.
The MP said that the statement fell in line with the Fatah controlled authority in Ramallah's insistence on negotiations and security coordination with the Israeli occupation.
He opined that the negotiation process with the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) was progressing according to the latter's own agenda, charging that Fatah authority was "defeatist".
Masri urged Fatah authority to stop attacking resistance, to respect the sacrifices of the Palestinian people, and to end the frivolous negotiations with the IOA so as to return to the embraces of the Palestinian people.
Resistance is the strategic option of the Palestinian people who would never be affected by such statements, the lawmaker underlined, adding that Hamas was nevertheless adamant on national reconciliation to end the state of internal Palestinian division.
He remarked, however, that Hamas wanted reconciliation based on rights and constants and not according to the international quartet's conditions.
http://bit.ly/d1RBm2 19 jan 2012, 21:11 , Respect -
Maria 22 19 jan 2012, 21:11 , Respect -
Maria 23 19 jan 2012, 21:11 , Respect -
Maria 24 nov 2010
Gaza govt says no Qaeda groups operating in Strip
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Al-Qaeda has no foothold in the Gaza Strip and reports suggesting it does only help Israel justify its crimes against the Palestinians living there, the Hamas-led government said Tuesday.
A statement issued by the cabinet during its weekly meeting said much of the indications that groups of extremist religious fundamentalists were operating in Gaza amounted to propaganda on the part of Israel's government.
The reports deflect attention from South African jurist Richard Goldstone's fact-finding mission, the deadly naval raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, and the assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai, the cabinet said.
The government denounced Israeli policies in occupied East Jerusalem, and urged the Organization of the Islamic Conference and Arab League to take a stand toward protecting the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The government said the potential US-Israeli weapons deal in exchange for a temporary settlement freeze indicated the current US administration is not fundamentally different than the previous one.
Ministers present at the meeting called for declaring the failure of peace negotiations and to instead secure national unity to move forward on a joint strategy to restore Palestinian rights.
On that topic, the government affirmed that Palestinian reconciliation was the only path forward. It held Fatah responsible for obstructing the talks and backtracking on understandings reached in Damascus.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335426 19 jan 2012, 21:11 , Respect -
Maria 25 nov 2010
PRC claims hit on Israeli bulldozer in Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Palestinian fighters said they hit an Israeli military bulldozer with a rocket-propelled grenade in the northern Gaza Strip Thursday morning.
In a statement, the An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, said they observed a "direct hit" on the bulldozer, which they said was operating inside Gaza north of the town of Beit Lahiya.
The statement added that the shelling was in response to "Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people."
An Israeli military spokeswoman said the army was not aware of any RPG fire in Gaza, but said Palestinians fired a mortar shell at an Israeli force in the northern Gaza Strip, which fell short, causing no injuries.
Worker detained in northern Gaza
In a separate incident, a lawyer with the Gaza-based Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights said Israeli forces detained a Palestinian man who was collecting construction aggregates in the former Israeli settlement of Elli Sinai, also in the northern Gaza Strip.
The attorney said Ibrahim Al-Ashqar, 24, was detained at 6 a.m. Thursday. He is believed to be held in Israel's Ashkelon prison.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said that in fact two Palestinians were detained, not on Thursday, but on Wednesday.
The official said: "Two suspects were observed approaching the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip. They were detained and taken for security questioning."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=336001
Mortar shell fired from Northern Gaza; no injuries or damages reported
Mortar shells fired from the northern Gaza Strip at Israel landed near the Gaza border fence on the Palestinian side. No injuries or damages were reported.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3989694,00.html
Officials: Hamas fighter dies after shooting self
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A member of Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, died after accidently shooting himself while cleaning his gun, officials in Gaza said Thursday.
Medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya said Bilal Zaqut, 22, died from a gunshot wound in the chest in northern Gaza.
The Al-Qassam Brigades released a statement saying Zaqut, 22, "died after accidently sustaining a gunshot while cleaning his rifle."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=336065 19 jan 2012, 21:11 , Respect -
Maria 26 nov 2010
PFLP: Ambush attack on Israeli patrol in Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Militants with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Gaza claimed on Thursday night to have detonated two explosive charges beneath an invading patrol of undercover Israeli soldiers in the northern Strip.
The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades said in a statement that Israeli solders infiltrated areas east of the cemetery in northern Gaza, where an "ambush was set" by militants.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said she was not aware of any military activity in the area, but sources confirmed that explosions heard in the north shortly after 10 p.m.
Twelve hours ahead of the claimed surprise attack, Palestinian fighters said they hit an Israeli military bulldozer with a rocket-propelled grenade in the northern Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, said they observed a "direct hit" on the bulldozer, which they said was operating inside Gaza north of the town of Beit Lahiya.
The statement added that the shelling was in response to "Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people."
An Israeli military spokeswoman said the army was not aware of any RPG fire in Gaza, but said Palestinians fired a mortar shell at an Israeli force in the northern Gaza Strip, which fell short, causing no injuries.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=336120