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Hamas appeals to Egypt after Israel halves fishing zone
Published Friday 22/03/2013 (updated) 25/03/2013 13:09

GAZA CITY (Reuters) -- Hamas complained to Egypt on Friday after Israel suspended part of a Cairo-brokered truce agreement by halving Palestinian access to fishing waters in response to a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip.

Thursday's salvo at the Israeli border town of Sderot, which caused no casualties, coincided with a visit to Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank by US President Barack Obama.

It was claimed by a small al-Qaida-linked faction that has challenged the Islamist Hamas group's rule in the Gaza Strip.

Israel, which holds Hamas responsible for any violence emanating from the enclave, retaliated by shutting the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing on the Gaza border and by enforcing a newly restricted 5 km wide fishing zone.

The zone had been extended to 11 km as part of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that ended an eight-day conflict between Israel and Hamas in November, in which 166 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed.

"We have informed Cairo of this violation and we are waiting to hear a clear position from Egyptian mediators on this," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, giving no indication that Hamas wanted to abandon the ceasefire arrangement.

An Egyptian official confirmed that the Hamas complaint had been received, saying Israel had complained separately about the rocket attack.

The official said Cairo would contact both sides to "restore their commitment to the truce". Israel said on Thursday its new Gaza restrictions would be in place until further notice.

Magles Shoura al-Mujahedeen, a hardline Islamist Salafi faction with a small presence in Gaza and the neighboring Egyptian Sinai, claimed responsibility for the salvo on Sderot.

In an online statement, the group said it had struck during Obama's visit to show up Israeli air defenses - a likely reference to Israel's US-backed Iron Dome rocket shield.

Magles Shoura al-Muhajedeen and Hamas are both hostile to Israel. But the Salafis accuse Hamas of diluting Islamist doctrine by seeking accommodation with secular Palestinians.

Hamas has at times cracked down on the Salafis, seeing them as a threat to the stability of the impoverished Gaza Strip.

On Thursday the Hamas administration's spokesman Taher al-Nono questioned whether rockets had been fired from Gaza and reaffirmed commitment to the "mutual calm agreement brokered by Cairo".

Reducing Gaza's fishing waters spelled losses for some 3,000 Palestinians whose livelihood depends on the sea.

"There is nothing to catch within three miles from shore," said fisherman Talal Shweikh, 62. "All the fish that you see in the market today came from Egypt."
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1 ) Outlier / USA
22/03/2013 19:08
If Hamas doesn't like the consequences, it should crack down hard on the renegade organization(s) that provoked it. To do otherwise is to condone such provocation.

2 ) evan / usa
22/03/2013 19:58
Hamas should complain to israel. this is so dumb. obviously israel exists, if only hamas would communicate DIRECTLY with them, they could explain that it wasnt them it was another group. Then perhaps israel would listen. This ridiculousness of i doint wanna talk, is immature, and the people are the ones who suffer.

Besides egypt has enough problems of its own.

I just cant get over how childish this is.

3 ) Colin Wright / USA
22/03/2013 21:21
It's called collective punishment. Like when the Nazis staged Kristallnacht after a Jew shot a German diplomat. What? Great minds think alike.

4 ) Colin Wright / USA
22/03/2013 21:23
To evan #2 ' This ridiculousness of i doint wanna talk, is immature, and the people are the ones who suffer. ' I've got your credit card information, and I've started making charges. We can discuss the situation of course. Meanwhile, I'll keep making charges. That's fine with you?

5 ) Colin Wright / USA
22/03/2013 21:23
To evan #2 ' This ridiculousness of i doint wanna talk, is immature, and the people are the ones who suffer. ' I've got your credit card information, and I've started making charges. We can discuss the situation of course. Meanwhile, I'll keep making charges. That's fine with you?

6 ) Colin Wright / USA
22/03/2013 21:26
To Outlier #1 'If Hamas doesn't like the consequences, it should crack down hard on the renegade organization(s) that provoked it.' And THEN you can point out how authoritarian and tyrannical they are. Of course no one could expect you to negotiate with such an organization. But hey. I'm being unfair. Look at how Israel rides herd on the settlers...

7 ) Colin Wright / USA
22/03/2013 21:27
To evan #2 'I just cant get over how childish this is.' I just can't get over how shamelessly hypocritical Zionists can be.

8 ) southparkbear / usa
23/03/2013 00:14
hamas is the power that governs gaza. if a kibbutz opened fire on gaza the UN would hold israel responsible. can't be responsible let go and have a responsible body

9 ) Israeli1 / Israel
23/03/2013 02:27
There was an unwritten agreement not to do anything while the President visited, and Hamas violated it. They control the strip 100% .

10 ) كتائبة الجيش مقاومة في غزة / فلسطين
23/03/2013 02:58
You people are stupid & don't even know anythng anywayz- Israeli Zionist occupation forces invaded Gaza that morning & fired onto houses. If Israel didn't like the consequences then they should not have opened fire on Gaza civilian areas. The Zionists got what was coming to them. Any more violations won't be met with such restraint from the resistance in Gaza- I'm talking about the main & leading army brigades. The truce will hold as long as Israel abides by it, everything revolves on that.

11 ) gabi / australia
23/03/2013 04:13
# 2 - yeah - it's pretty childish limiting the fishing zone to the three miles that everyone knows is not an adequate fishing area. No matter how you dress it up, it is collective punishment. To achieve what? Make the Gazans angry? Hope they'll retaliate so then Israel can go in, again, and bomb the shit out of them, again???? And Outlier # 1 - do you make the same remarks about cracking down on the renegade settlers and their provocations? No, I thought not.

12 ) Outlier / USA
23/03/2013 18:55
11, actually I do make such remarks on an even-handed basis. Such acts on both sides are provocative, and should be condemned and addressed.

13 ) Mel1 / USA
24/03/2013 20:14
#2:evan:U really must learn the difference 'tween what Israel'defensively'SAYS,& OFFENSIVELY does!If U're pro-Nazi death-camps,you'll side with LAWLESS Zionism,at the EXPENSE of Israel,Palestine,Muslims,Christians&JEWS!Hamas has opened dialogue,B4,but Israel REFUSES,coz it doesn't WANT a free,legal,Palestine.Radical NaZionists were the 1ST BOMBERS/TERRORISTS,in Palestine,in 1930's!And,Palestinians have the LEGAL RIGHT to retaliate,2defend themselves from Israel's COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT-WARCRIMES

14 ) ian / australia
25/03/2013 03:43
#1 "If Hamas doesn't like the consequences, it should crack down hard on the renegade organization(s) that provoked it. To do otherwise is to condone such provocation." I agree Outlier, They SHOULD and don't. Which is condoning it. Just like Israel SHOULD "crack down hard" on feral settler violence, and won't, also condoning it. But think it through. Would a Palestinian retaliation, involving lethal force against innocent Israelis who had nothing to do with it, say, at a pizzeria or

15 ) ian / australia
25/03/2013 03:44
(contd.) on the beach at Tel Aviv, be acceptable? Of course not. And neither is taking it out on Gazan fishermen.
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