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
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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