GAZA: SIX KILLED IN FACTIONAL CLASHES; NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 001172 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/WATERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2017 TAGS: KWBG KPAL IS PTER ASEC SUBJECT: GAZA: SIX KILLED IN FACTIONAL CLASHES; NEW CEASEFIRE DOESN'T EASE TENSION REF: JERUSALEM 1155 AND PREVIOUS CLASSIFIED BY: CONSUL GENERAL JAKE WALLES, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. AT LEAST NINE PALESTINIANS (6 FATAH OR PALESTINIAN SECURITY FORCES (PASF),AND 3 HAMAS) WERE KILLED IN RENEWED FACTIONAL VIOLENCE IN RAFAH AND GAZA CITY FROM JUNE 8 TO 1600 LOCAL ON JUNE 11. BOTH SIDES ALLEGE SEVERAL ABDUCTIONS AND ABUSE/TORTURE OF PRISONERS. HAMAS PM ISMAYIL HANIYAH'S HOUSE WAS ATTACKED EARLY JUNE 11, WITHOUT REPORTED INJURIES OR SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE, AND THE HAMAS-CONTROLLED MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND SPORT ACCUSED "FATAH GANGS" OF SHOOTING AT THE GAZA CITY MINISTRY BUILDING. WHILE A RENEWED CEASEFIRE HAS BEEN IN EFFECT SINCE 1100 LOCAL ON JUNE 11, SECURITY CONTACTS REPORT SHOOTING INCIDENTS AND STREET CLASHES SINCE 1200 LOCAL. PIJ/AL-AQSA BRIGADES CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR A JUNE 9 RAID THAT BREACHED THE GAZA PERIMETER FENCE AT KISSUFIM IN A FAILED KIDNAP ATTEMPT. PALESTINIAN MILITANTS FIRED 5 QASSAM ROCKETS AND DOZENS OF MORTARS INTO ISRAEL JUNE 9-11, WITH NO INJURIES OR PROPERTY DAMAGE REPORTED. ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES JUNE 9-10 DESTROYED A PIJ OFFICE, METAL WORKSHOP AND COMMERCIAL AREA IN GAZA CITY, ACCORDING TO PALESTINIAN SECURITY CONTACTS, INJURING 6 PALESTINIANS. END SUMMARY. RAFAH CLASHES SHIFT TO GAZA CITY -------------- ¶2. (U) FIVE PALESTINIANS WERE KILLED IN RAFAH STREET GUNBATTLES JUNE 8-9 (2 FATAH TANZIM MILITANTS, ONE NSF SOLDIER AND TWO HAMAS GUNMEN),AND SEVERAL MORE WERE SHOT AND SERIOUSLY INJURED. AS OF LATE JUNE 9, FIGHTING IN RAFAH SUBSIDED AND CLASHES SHIFTED TO GAZA CITY. ¶3. (SBU) ON JUNE 10, PASF SPOKESMEN SAID HAMAS MILITARY-WING ATTACKERS THREW PG/FORCE 17 SOLDIER MUHAMMAD SAWIRKI OFF A 15-STORY BUILDING, AND KIDNAPPED ANOTHER PG SOLDIER. PASF/FATAH MEMBERS RETALIATED BY THROWING A HAMAS MEMBER OFF A GAZA CITY HIGH-RISE AND KILLING A HAMAS-AFFILIATED IMAM. A PSO MEMBER ALSO DIED JUNE 10 FROM INJURIES SUSTAINED NEAR THE GAZA CITY PSO HEADQUARTERS THE PREVIOUS DAY. ON JUNE 9, FATAH MEMBER SUFIAN MUHAMMAD WAS SHOT AND INJURED BY UNKNOWN GUNMEN, AND PASF SPOKESMEN ALLEGED THAT "EXECUTIVE FORCE" GUNMEN KIDNAPPED PSO OFFICER MUSTAFA AFIFI AND SHOT HIM IN THE FEET BEFORE RELEASING HIM. THE PSO REPORTED NUMEROUS OTHER SHOOTING/GRENADE ATTACKS AGAINST ITS FACILITIES AND OFFICERS JUNE 9-10. ¶4. (SBU) THE PG ALLEGED THAT THREE SOLDIERS WERE KIDNAPPED, BEATEN AND TORTURED BY "EXECUTIVE FORCE" GUNMEN BEFORE BEING RELEASED. AN "EXECUTIVE FORCE" SPOKESMAN DENIED THE CLAIMS OF ABUSE AND SAID THE "EXECUTIVE FORCE" HAD ARRESTED THEM FOR ATTEMPTING TO ROB A MOBILE PHONE DEALER (A CHARGE WHICH GAZA PG SPOKESMAN ALI AL-QAYSI VEHEMENTLY DENIED). THE "EXECUTIVE FORCE" CLAIMED THAT FATAH MILITANTS KIDNAPPED ONE OF ITS MEMBERS ON JUNE 10. ¶5. (C) HAMAS PM ISMAYIL HANIYAH'S HOUSE WAS ATTACKED EARLY JUNE 11, ACCORDING TO A PM'S OFFICE SPOKESMAN, WITH NO INJURIES OR SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE REPORTED. (NOTE: PM HANIYAH'S HOME WAS A FREQUENT TARGET OF SPORADIC FIRE IN PREVIOUS FATAH-HAMAS CLASHES. END NOTE). A SPOKESMAN FOR THE HAMAS-CONTROLLED MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND SPORTS ACCUSED "FATAH GANGS" OF SHOOTING AT THE GAZA CITY MINISTRY BUILDING AND VANDALIZING ITS EXTERIOR. ALSO JUNE 11, PA FINANCE MINISTER SALAM FAYYAD TOLD THE CONSUL GENERAL THAT A CABINET MEETING HAD TO BE ADJOURNED MID-SESSION DUE TO GUNFIRE NEAR THE PM'S OFFICE IN GAZA. CEASEFIRE IN EFFECT BUT SHOOTING CONTINUES -------------- ¶6. (SBU) A RENEWED CEASEFIRE HAS BEEN IN EFFECT SINCE 1100 LOCAL ON JUNE 11, AND THE FOLLOW-UP COMMITTEE (CONSISTING OF FATAH, HAMAS, SMALL FACTION AND EGYPTIAN REPRESENTATIVES) IS MONITORING GAZA CITY AND RAFAH STREETS FOR VIOLATIONS. HOWEVER, SECURITY CONTACTS REPORT SHOOTING INCIDENTS AND STREET CLASHES SINCE 1200 LOCAL (NO CASUALTIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED FROM THIS FIGHTING). ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE -------------- ¶7. (SBU) ACCORDING TO ARABIC-LANGUAGE PRESS ACCOUNTS, FOUR PIJ MILITANTS BREACHED THE GAZA PERIMETER FENCE AT THE DEFUNCT KISSUFIM CROSSING ON JUNE 9, TOOK OVER AN IDF POSITION AND DESTROYED AN IDF JEEP, BUT FAILED TO KIDNAP AN ISRAELI SOLDIER. A PIJ SPOKESMAN SAID ONE PIJ FIGHTER WAS KILLED WHILE THREE OTHERS ESCAPED INTO GAZA, AND THAT THE AL-AQSA MARTYRS BRIGADES HAD CONTRIBUTED ONE OF THE FOUR GUNMEN. ISRAELI MEDIA QUOTE AN IDF SPOKESMAN CONFIRMING THAT ONE PIJ ATTACKER WAS KILLED AND ALLEGING THAT THE JEEP USED BY THE ATTACKERS HAD "TV" PAINTED ON IT, AS TELEVISION JOURNALISTS COMMONLY LABEL THEIR VEHICLES TO PREVENT ATTACK. HAMAS, PIJ AND AL-AQSA BRIGADES ALL CLAIMED TO HAVE FIRED SEVERAL MORTARS TOWARD KISSUFIM BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE ATTACK. ¶8. (SBU) PALESTINIAN MILITANTS FIRED 5 QASSAM ROCKETS INTO ISRAEL ON JUNE 11, BUT NO INJURIES OR PROPERTY DAMAGE WAS REPORTED. MILITANTS FIRED DOZENS OF MORTARS, MOST STRIKING EREZ CROSSING, KISSUFIM AND NEAR ISRAELI POSITIONS SET UP INSIDE NORTHERN GAZA (NEAR BAYT HANUN) FOR QASSAM INTERDICTION. ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES JUNE 9-10 DESTROYED A PIJ OFFICE, METAL WORKSHOP AND COMMERCIAL AREA IN GAZA CITY, ACCORDING TO PALESTINIAN SECURITY CONTACTS, INJURING 6 PALESTINIANS. WALLES