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Israeli authorities on Sunday banned all fuel shipments into the blockaded Gaza Strip, according to a Palestinian security official.
“Israel prevented the entry of all fuel transfers, including Qatari-funded shipments, into Gaza,” the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.
On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered a halt to fuel shipments to the Palestinian territory following protests on Gaza border, in which seven Palestinians were martyred and scores injured.
On Sunday, Israeli daily Haaretz said that Israeli security officials had opposed Lieberman’s decision to halt fuel shipment into the blockaded enclave.
The officials, according to Haaretz, believe that it was impossible to pressure Hamas – which rules Gaza – and completely halt all shipments without worsening the humanitarian situation in the strip.
Last week, Haaretz reported that a deal had been struck with Qatar by which the latter would finance fuel procurements for Gaza.
Since 2007, when Hamas seized the Gaza Strip from rival Palestinian faction Hamas, the coastal enclave has groaned under an Israeli blockade that has deprived its two million inhabitants of many basic commodities.
More than 200 Palestinians have been martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli army fire in anti-occupation protests along Gaza border since late March.
Protesters demand an end to Israel’s 12-year blockade on Gaza and the “right of return” to their homes and villages in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said Saturday anti-occupation protests along border of the Gaza Strip will not stop until Israel’s 12-year blockade is lifted.“The Return Marches will not accept partial solutions,” Haniyeh said in statements following the funeral prayer for a Palestinian youth killed by Israeli army fire near Gaza border on Friday.“The rallies will accept nothing but a complete lifting of the blockade on the Gaza Strip,” he said.At least seven Palestinians were martyred and scores injured by Israeli army fire on Friday during protests against the crippling siege imposed by Israel on Gaza since 2007.Hamas eyes truce with Israel in return for end of siegeIsrael releases former Hamas MPThe death toll brought to more than 200 Palestinians martyred and thousands more injured by the Israeli army since the protests began in late March.“Gaza is fighting to undermine the so-called 'deal of the century'," he said, referring to a backchannel U.S. plan to reach a peace settlement between the Palestinians and Israel.Protesters demand the “right of return” to their homes and villages in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.They also demand an end to Israel’s 12-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its roughly two million inhabitants of many basic commodities.More trucks laden with Qatari fuel enter blockaded GazaPalestinian man dies in Israeli jailHamas eyes truce with Israel in return for end of siege198 martyred by Israel since Gaza protests began
Protests won’t stop until Gaza siege lifted: Haniyeh
Israeli forces on Saturday detained the parents of a suspected Palestinian shooter, who allegedly killed two Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank last week, according to local residents.An Israeli military force raided Shawbka neighborhood in the city of Tulkarem and arrested Waleed Naalwa and Wafaa Mahdawi from their home, the residents said.The uncle of the suspected shooter was also arrested from his home in the same area, according to the same source.Canada pledges $62M aid for PalestiniansThere was no comment from the Israeli military on the arrests.On Sunday, two Israelis were killed and another was injured in a shooting attack in an industrial area near the settlement of Barkan in the central West Bank. Israeli authorities accuse Ashraf Naalwa of carrying out the attack and have launched a massive manhunt to arrest him.UN peace envoy ‘no longer acceptable’ to PLOGaza Health Ministry warns of Israel's 'lethal' attacks
Israel arrests parents of suspected Palestinian shooter
Israel's way of wounding demonstrators in Gaza City is a reflection of their intention to commit a new massacre, the Palestinian Health Ministry said early Saturday.Speaking to Anadolu Agency, the ministry’s spokesman, Ashraf al-Qidra, said Israel was carrying out “lethal” attacks on Palestinian protestors when looking at the injuries they received.Emphasizing that the injuries were deadly and complicated, Qidra added that Israeli occupying forces had the intention to commit a new massacre.He also stressed that there was no international monitoring of the situation and called for determined and effective moves in order to stop the continuous violations against the Palestinian people.Meanwhile, Qatar's Foreign Ministry also condemned the attacks targeting peaceful protests.“Occupying Israeli forces’ dangerous military escalation is a clear violation of international agreements and laws,” it said in a written statement.198 martyred by Israel since Gaza protests beganIsrael releases former Hamas MPAccording to the Gaza Health Ministry, seven Palestinian protesters were martyred Friday by Israeli army gunfire near the Gaza-Israel buffer zone, while another 154 Palestinians were injured.Protesters demand the “right of return” to their homes and villages in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.They also demand an end to Israel’s 12-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its roughly two million inhabitants of many basic commodities. According to the Health Ministry, more than 200 Palestinians have been martyred and thousands more injured since the rallies began on March 30.More trucks laden with Qatari fuel enter blockaded GazaPalestinian man dies in Israeli jailHamas eyes truce with Israel in return for end of siege
Gaza Health Ministry warns of Israel's 'lethal' attacks
Wissam Abd al-Majid Shalaldeh, a 28-year-old Palestinian man, died Friday in Israel’s Ayalon Prison, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoners Society.According to the NGO, the Israeli authorities informed Shalaldeh’s family -- by phone -- of his death, the reasons for which remain unclear.A father of four from the village of Saer near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, Shalaldeh was arrested by the Israeli authorities in 2015 for illegal weapons possession and slapped with a seven-year jail term.The Prisoners Society held Israel entirely responsible for Shalaldeh’s death, noting that he was the fourth Palestinian this year to die in Israeli police custody.Roughly 6,500 Palestinians are currently being held by the Israeli authorities, including dozens of women and scores of minors, according to Palestinian figures.Hamas eyes truce with Israel in return for end of siege198 martyred by Israel since Gaza protests beganIsrael releases former Hamas MP
Palestinian man dies in Israeli jail
Ismail Haniyeh, political chief of Palestinian resistance group Hamas, says his movement is seeking a truce with Israel in exchange for an end to the latter’s 12-year blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.Haniyeh made the assertion in a taped address played during the opening session of an international conference on Jerusalem held Friday in Istanbul.The event is being attended by more than 700 Arab and Muslim figures who will discuss recent developments pertaining to Jerusalem and the Palestinian national project.“Today we are seeking -- along with Egypt, Qatar and the UN -- to reach an understanding that could yield a truce [with Israel] in exchange for an end to the siege,” Haniyeh said in the pre-recorded address.He stressed, however, that the sought-for truce would not have any political strings attached; would not be part of the so-called “Deal of the Century” (a backchannel peace plan proposed by the U.S. administration); and would not lead to Gaza’s separation from the West Bank.Friday’s conference was organized by the International Coalition for the Support of Jerusalem and Palestine and the Center for Turkish-Islamic Relations.The two-day event aims to raise awareness about the Palestinian national cause in response to Washington’s recent diplomatic maneuvering in the region and rising authoritarianism in the Arab world, according to organizers.198 martyred by Israel since Gaza protests beganIsrael releases former Hamas MP
Hamas eyes truce with Israel in return for end of siege