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ISRAEL-OPT: Hamas enforces ceasefire in Gaza
02 Jul 2008 11:43:53 GMT
 Source: IRIN

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JERUSALEM/GAZA, 2 July 2008 (IRIN) - The shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could relieve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and benefit Hamas politically, but there is a way to go yet.

A successful ceasefire would lead to Israel relaxing restrictions on Gaza, allowing a greater movement of goods and people in and out of the blockaded territory and help Hamas get the international recognition it has long craved, observers say.

The ceasefire deal, brokered by Egypt last month, could also improve Hamas's chances of opening the Rafah Crossing to Egypt.

If Hamas is able to further consolidate its hold on Gaza it may be able to better control the use of force aimed externally, said Nicholas Pelham of the International Crisis Group, an international think-tank.

The tables have turned: In the past, Hamas militants were the ones arrested by Palestinian Authority forces, with Hamas berating government troops for interfering with the "armed struggle". In late June, Hamas threatened any attackers of Israel with arrest.

Following a strong speech by Ismail Haniya, the Islamist movement's prime minister in Gaza, who said the only way to break the siege of Gaza was through observing the ceasefire, hardliner Mahmoud al-Zahar, a Hamas founder, said the group would arrest anyone violating the deal and that it already had some rocket-shooters in custody.

Subsequently, the spokesman for the Al Aqsa Martyr Brigades, (loosely affiliated with the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) was detained, creating more tension between the two parties whose fighters engaged in a bloody battle for control of Gaza, with Hamas ending up victors last summer.

The Brigades said they had fired rockets as they wanted the ceasefire deal to include the West Bank.

Israel reopened crossing points to Gaza this week but only to allow in goods deemed humanitarian. "There has been no significant improvement since the ceasefire," said one aid worker. However, some aid specialists said there had been a small increase in the amount of fuel and grain allowed in over the past 10 days.

shg/at/bp/cb

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