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SVT Nyheter · 2015-07-15
A year after the latest war in Gaza, reconstruction remains slow, while residents report a new threat from the Islamic State group, which in a new video threatens to overthrow Hamas. Omar Shaban of the independent Gaza think tank Pal-Think says Hamas is still strong enough to control radical groups, but worsening living conditions raise questions about how long it can do so.
A year after the latest war in Gaza, reconstruction remains slow, while residents report a new threat from the Islamic State group, which in a new video threatens to overthrow Hamas. Omar Shaban of the independent Gaza think tank Pal-Think says Hamas is still strong enough to control radical groups…
A year has passed since the last war in Gaza.
Reconstruction is proceeding slowly, many have fled, and those who remain speak of a new threat – from the terror group IS. In a new video, the extremists threaten to overthrow Hamas, which is in control in Gaza.
Officially, there has been peace in Gaza since 26 August last year. In the latest war against Israel, more than 2,200 Palestinians were killed, about two thirds of them civilians. Seventy-three people on the Israeli side lost their lives, seven of them civilians.
The material destruction in Gaza was enormous. Life is now beginning to return, but at the same time people are now testifying to how the Sunni Muslim extremist organization IS is taking up more and more space in the area.
– No one here likes the Islamic State. We do not want them here; they bring only violence and destruction, Khalid Sukr tells Swedish Radio’s correspondent in Gaza.
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Khalid Sukr remains in his half-demolished house in the Shejaiya area of Gaza City, and according to him a power struggle is under way in the Gaza Strip. New groups have appeared – from both IS and the terror network al-Qaeda – and with them new rules.
In a new video, the Sunni Muslim extremist organization IS threatens to overthrow the Hamas movement that now has control. They threaten to overthrow the “tyrants” and condemn Hamas rule.
Hamas is also an Islamist movement designated as a terrorist organization by both the EU and the US, but according to IS they are far too liberal.
– The Islamic State has gained ground over the past year. I have personally been asked whether I want to join. They keep track of who can fight, but who are also critical of Hamas, a 26-year-old member of the armed wing of Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization, tells the TT news agency.
He wishes to remain anonymous, but describes how he took part in last year’s fighting against Israel.
## “Do not even have food for the day”
So far Hamas can keep the IS extremists under control, but the question is for how long, says Omar Shaban of the independent think tank Pal-Think in Gaza.
– Hamas is still strong enough to control the radical groups, but the question is for how long? People do not even have food for the day, he tells Swedish Radio.
– I hope Hamas can control them. We have seen what IS does in other countries, says Khalid Sukr.
The war in Gaza in 2014 lasted from 8 July to 26 August.
It was the third war between Israel and the armed groups in Gaza, which is controlled by the Hamas movement, designated as a terrorist organization.
The official reason for the war was an escalation in rocket fire from armed groups against Israel. Israel launched a large-scale air offensive and later sent in ground troops.
In total, about 2,200 Palestinians were killed, about two thirds of them civilians. Seventy-three people on the Israeli side lost their lives, seven of them civilians.
A new UN report accuses both Israel and Hamas of war crimes during the fighting.
The material destruction in Gaza was enormous.
Unemployment has risen in Gaza after the war, especially among young people under 24, where 67.9 percent are without work.
Traumatic memories from the conflict and the stress of being trapped in Gaza have left up to 300,000 young people in need of psychosocial support.
New figures show that up to 80 percent of the population is now dependent on some form of international aid.
Source: TT, Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), Oxfam
The terror movement IS
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Text © SVT Nyheter — archived here with attribution to the source. — Machine translation for archival reference. — Original source