Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., August 04, 2008 Av 3, 5768 | | Israel Time: 02:11 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Israel lets in 188 Fatah loyalists By Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff and Yuval Azoulay Israel yesterday granted requests from the Palestinian Authority and Egypt to allow entry into Israel to Fatah gunmen involved in the weekend's fighting with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Defense Minister Ehud Barak agreed to let in 188 people, most of whom are to proceed to the West Bank immediately. Several Fatah members wounded in the clashes were taken to Israeli hospitals. Yesterday's clashes in Gaza City's Shijaiyeh neighborhood, between Hamas forces and the Fatah-affiliated Hilles clan, left nine people dead and some 80 wounded, including 12 children. Advertisement The fighting erupted yesterday morning, after Hamas forces raided the clan's homes, claiming its members were hiding those responsible for planting a car bomb on a Gaza beach 10 days ago, which killed five Hamas operatives and a child. Clan members denied the accusation and vowed to defend their homes. By afternoon Hamas had gained control of the neighborhood, and house-to-house searches by hundreds of police officers had resulted in the arrests of some 50 people. Fatah loyalists, mostly members of the Hilles clan, fled toward the Nahal Oz border crossing. Col. Ron Asherov, commander of the Israel Defense Forces brigade stationed along the northern Gaza Strip, said that the IDF opened the crossing after it became clear that it was wounded Fatah men who were seeking entry. He said that a decision was made on the spot to treat them "on a humanitarian basis." Hamas forces targeted the soldiers and fleeing Fatah men with sniper fire and mortar shells. There were no casualties. All of the Fatah loyalists allowed to enter Israel did so after laying down their arms. A total of 188 people entered Israel, mostly men and a few children. Twenty-two were wounded, slightly for the most part. The Israeli Magen David Adom ambulance service took three casualties with moderate to serious injuries to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva and Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. Both the Egyptian government as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad petitioned Barak's office to let the men enter Israel. The defense minister directed the IDF to perform a security check on those entering and to arrange for their transfer into the West Bank, with the exception of a handful of those requiring medical attention at Israeli hospitals. Although humanitarian reasons were cited as the reason for the decision, in its response Israel evidently wishes to signal its willingness to meet the Palestinians and Egyptians half-way. Cairo is the official mediator between Israel and Hamas in talks to secure the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Defense sources in Israel suggested yesterday that the fighting in Gaza started because of a misconception. Hamas blames Fatah for a series of attacks on the organization, including the fatal explosion on the Gaza beachfront. But Israeli officials believe Islamic forces were behind the attacks. They may have been motivated by internal turmoil in Hamas, or a confrontation with members of the radical offshoot Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam), which is associated with the Dormush clan and has been at odds with Hamas since it took over the Gaza Strip a year ago. By contrast, the Hilles clan, headed by senior Fatah member Ahmed Hilles, was permitted to keep its weapons because it cooperated with Hamas and even went so far as to attack the forces of local Fatah strongman Mohammed Dahlan, blaming them for Hamas' violent coup. Yesterday's spiraling violence came just days after Egypt called on Hamas and Fatah to end the bloodshed and resume reconciliation talks. Israeli defense officials are still having trouble assessing what impact the weekend's clashes might have on the temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Of late there have been only a few incidents of Qassam rockets being launched at Israel, and it is evident that Hamas has a clear interest in maintaining the truce. However, past understandings with the Palestinians collapsed because of internal strife in the Gaza Strip, when the sides developed an interest in diverting the fire toward Israel. The IDF is preparing for that possibility, too, although at this point it does not appear to be a major risk. Arrests in the West Bank In response to the violence in Gaza, Palestinian Authority police officers in the West Bank yesterday enforced a new ban on mass assembly. Palestinian security forces broke up a protest rally in Ramallah, arresting some 40 loyalists from the pan-Islamist movement Hizb ut-Tahrir (Liberation Party), which is not affiliated with Hamas. In Nablus, Fatah gunmen seized a senior Hamas member, Mohammed Ghazal, and threatened to kill him unless Hamas stopped the raid in Gaza. They released him after several hours. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Facing off in Gaza Bitter infighting in Gaza may bode ill for Israel's truce with Hamas. Syria's frequent flyer Assad went to Iran to explain rather than excuse peace talks with Israel.

Read & React Ahmadinejad: Iran won't retreat one iota from its nuclear rights Responses: 141 Editorial: Nasrallah, Siniora playing with fire in their war talk toward Israel Responses: 104 Rights group to court: Don't send Fatah refugees back to Gaza Responses: 138 Gideon Levy: Israel's legal system has laid the groundwork for an apartheid regime Responses: 87 Top IDF officer: Gaza was never close to a humanitarian crisis Responses: 36 More Headlines 00:40 Netanyahu: Kadima is selling Jerusalem to our enemies 01:06 Rights group to court: Don't send Fatah refugees back to Gaza 23:21 Palestinian official: Israel frees prominent jailed Hamas figure 21:25 Border Policeman arrested over Palestinian boy's death in Na'alin 21:09 Ahmadinejad: Diplomacy only way out of nuclear standoff 17:36 Israel to free 5 Palestinians in final stage of Hezbollah swap 17:49 Palestinians: Number of West Bank settlers jumped nearly 4% in 2007 22:26 Holocaust survivor and rescuer live like sisters in Warsaw 18:38 Vice Premier Ramon testifies to State Comptroller on wiretap case 20:00 Yitzhar teen arrested for allegedly attacking Palestinian family 23:06 Toddler found at airport after parents board Paris flight without her 01:35 Gov't okays first round of bill to collect every citizen's photo and fingerprint 16:18 Bound, stabbed Be'er Sheva man: They tried to kill me for 100 shekels 19:40 Report: Britney Spear's new love is an Israeli ex-soldier Previous Editions Select Day 03 aug 01 aug 31 jul 30 jul 29 jul 28 jul 27 jul 25 jul 24 jul 23 jul 22 jul 21 jul

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Isaac Maimon at Dreamshoppe Special summer sale. Make an offer now. You will be surprised. MBA in Israel in English APPLY NOW! Limited spaces available Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Yossi Avrahami Presents: New Luxurious Projects in North Tel Aviv & Eilat Your vacation starts here Israel Travel Center Guaranteed Lowest Rates Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved