SPORADIC VIOLENCE IN GAZA; IDF OPERATION LEAVES

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 002118

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/LOGERFO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/24/2016
TAGS: KPAL KWBG PREL IS ASEC CASC
SUBJECT: SPORADIC VIOLENCE IN GAZA; IDF OPERATION LEAVES
THREE DEAD IN RAMALLAH

REF: A. JERUSALEM 02007


B. JERUSALEM 02066

C. JERUSALEM 01622

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Sporadic violence continued in Gaza May
23-24. In Ramallah, a May 24 IDF arrest operation targeting
a PIJ activist resulted in four Palestinians dead and at
least 35 wounded. HAMAS spokesmen publicly accused the
Fatah-dominated Preventive Security Organization (PSO) of
orchestrating attacks against HAMAS members. General
Intelligence (Mukhabarat) sources indicated that they are
questioning two GI officers and a maintenance employee in
connection with the May 20 assassination attempt against GI
Chief Tariq Abu Rajab. According to PA and UN contacts in
Gaza, the 3000-strong Interior Ministry Special Security
Force is well-organized, equipped, and disciplined by Gaza
standards. END SUMMARY.

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HAMAS Accuses PSO Of
Involvement in Attack
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2. (C) Presidential Guard sources in Gaza reported that
masked gunmen seized three HAMAS militants outside a Khan
Yunis mosque on May 24 at 0930L, shot them, and dumped the
wounded men a short while later outside a gas station. One
of the men, Salem Mohammad Eqdaih, later died of his wounds.
In statements to the media, HAMAS spokesmen said the
assailants were members of the "Israeli-backed PSO." (NOTE:
PSO members have been implicated in several security
incidents (ref A). END NOTE.)


3. (C) In separate incidents, HAMAS militants exchanged
fire with masked gunmen in the Jala'a area of Gaza City. A
bomb exploded outside the home of a HAMAS-affiliated cleric,
Shaykh Wafa Ayyad, in the Nusayrat refugee camp. There were
no casualties reported in the bombing. In the West Bank, an
IDF undercover unit May 24 entered Ramallah's Manara Square
and arrested a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) activist and
five other Palestinians. Additional IDF units entered
Ramallah after the undercover unit was discovered and pelted
with stones by Palestinian youths. Subsequent clashes
between the Palestinians and the IDF resulted in four
Palestinians dead by IDF gunfire, and at least 35 wounded.
The IDF withdrew from Ramallah as of 1600L.

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Mukhabarat Arrests Three in Connection
With Abu Rajab Assassination Attempt
--------------


4. (C) Mukhabarat sources told POL FSN on May 23 that two
unidentified General Intelligence officers and a maintenance
employee, Muhammad Abu Jabal, are being questioned in
connection with the May 20 assassination attempt against
Tariq Abu Rajab (ref B). The General Intelligence
investigators suspect that Abu Jabal placed the device during
routine maintenance on the intelligence chief's private
elevator.

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Composition and Structure Of
Interior Ministry Force
--------------


5. (C) According to reports from the Presidential Guard,
General Intelligence and UN sources, the Interior Ministry
Special Security Force is well-organized, equipped, and
disciplined by Gaza standards. Palestinian contacts in Gaza
describe the force as "orderly" and "cautious." These
contacts provided information on the force:

-- Composition: The Interior Ministry culled the 3,000-strong
force from its most experienced fighters in the
HAMAS-affiliated militias. Presidential Guard sources
estimate that 2,500 members belong to HAMAS' Izz al-Din
al-Qassam Brigades, while the remainder are recruited from
Jamal Abu Samhadaneh's branch of the Popular Resistance
Committees (PRC). The force is divided into groups of 5-6
men who are deployed at every major intersection in the Gaza
Strip.

--Leadership: Yusif al-Zahar, brother of the PA Foreign
Minister Mahmud al-Zahar, serves as the overall commander of
the Special Security Force, while PRC head Jamal Abu
Samhadaneh's role is unclear. The Interior Ministry

appointed Samhadaneh as the "Inspector General" of the new
force last month (ref C).

--Equipment: Members are issued an AK-47 rifle, several
magazines of ammunition and a uniform. According to UN
sources, the units are able to rapidly call in reinforcements
with RPGs and heavier caliber machine-guns. In several media
reports, the forces have appeared with truck mounted
machine-guns. The 5-6 man teams patrol in trucks purchased
from a Gaza City merchant who sells used PA equipment. Each
team is equipped with a hand-held radio.

--Structure: Egyptian security contacts in Gaza indicated
that the Interior Ministry has divided Gaza into six zones
corresponding to HAMAS' military command structure -- Rafah,
Khan Yunis, Deir al-Balah, Central Gaza, Gaza City and North
Gaza. Forces deployed in each of the areas report to the
HAMAS commander for that zone. The force has two command
centers, one in Shati refugee camp and the other in Khan
Yunis.

WALLES