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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Egyptian delegation tours Gaza clashes as promised calm largely holds |
| 2018-11-03 |
| [IsraelTimes] Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", member says violence reined in to give Egyptian truce efforts a chance but warns of escalation if blockade not lifted An Egyptian security delegation toured the Gazoo border protests Friday, and even though thousands of Paleostinians turned up, they were the quietest in several months, witnesses said. The visit came amid efforts by Egypt to broker a ceasefire between Israel and the Gazoo Strip’s Hamas rulers. The delegation briefly attended the demonstrations in northern Gazoo, a statement from the head of the organizing committee said. Eyewitnesses said a car carrying the delegation briefly drove to a protest site a few hundred meters from the border, before departing. A senior Hamas member said the festivities were scaled down to give diplomatic efforts a chance amid talk of a breakthrough in months of Egyptian-led negotiations. Khalil al-Hayya said the terror group is "testing" Egyptian-led efforts to broker a ceasefire to ease an 11-year-old blockade on Gazoo. Fiercer festivities will resume if the blockade remains in place, al-Hayya warned. Israel and Egypt largely sealed their borders with Gazoo after Hamas seized control in 2007 from the Paleostinian Authority, citing a need to prevent weapons smuggling. Thousands again gathered at multiple sites near the frontier Friday but largely stayed away from the border fence, AFP correspondents said. Security forces loyal to Hamas prevented protesters from approaching the border too closely, the correspondents said. The Haaretz daily put turnout at some 7,000 demonstrators and quoted the Israel Defense Forces as saying about half of those present approached the border fence, while the rest remained at a distance and did not clash with soldiers. The protest ended earlier than usual. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gazoo said 32 Paleostinians were maimed during the protests, including seven by Israeli fire, which The News Agency that Dare Not be Named said was the lowest casualty figures reported since the start of the demonstrations. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |