GAZA: AT LEAST 16 MORE DEAD AS HAMAS STRIKES AT

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000899

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

BEIRUT PASS TO A/S WELCH, NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA, NSC
FOR ABRAMS/WATERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2017
TAGS: PREL KWBG IS PTER PGOV PINS
SUBJECT: GAZA: AT LEAST 16 MORE DEAD AS HAMAS STRIKES AT
FATAH SECURITY COMMANDERS, KEY FACILITIES

REF: A. JERUSALEM 891

B. JERUSALEM 882

CLASSIFIED BY: CONSUL GENERAL JAKE WALLES, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. IN A SIGNIFICANT ESCALATION OF FIGHTING
BETWEEN HAMAS- AND FATAH-ALIGNED FORCES, 43 PALESTINIANS HAVE
BEEN KILLED AND OVER 110 INJURED SINCE MAY 12. HAMAS ATTACKS
HAVE CONCENTRATED ON KEY LEADERSHIP/FACILITY TARGETS, WITH
MILITARY-WING GUNMEN KILLING 6 FATAH BODYGUARDS AT INTERNAL
SECURITY CHIEF RASHID ABU SHBAKS HOUSE AND ASSAULTING MAJOR
PASF BASES IN GAZA CITY. DESPITE A NEW, EGYPTIAN-BROKERED
CEASEFIRE AND PHONE CALLS BETWEEN HAMAS LEADER KHALID
MISHA'AL AND PRESIDENT MAHMUD ABBAS (ABU MAZEN),INTENSE
FIREFIGHTS CONTINUE AS OF 1530 LOCAL ON MAY 16 IN GAZA CITY
AND NORTHERN GAZA. HAMAS CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR 36
QASSAM ROCKET LAUNCHES AGAINST ISRAEL ON MAY 15-16, WITH 17
ROCKETS STRIKING SDEROT. THE IDF KILLED A NATIONAL SECURITY
FORCES (NSF) SOLDIER MAY 15 NEAR KARNI/AL-MINTAR, AND THE IAF
KILLED 4 "EXECUTIVE FORCE" MEMBERS IN A RAFAH AIRSTRIKE.
ACCORDING TO PUBLIC COMMENTS BY PLO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
SECRETARY-GENERAL YASSER ABD RABBO, PRESIDENT ABBAS WILL

SIPDIS
TRAVEL TO GAZA, AND SEVERAL FATAH LEADERS WANT HIM TO DECLARE
A STATE OF EMERGENCY. END SUMMARY.

HAMAS ATTACKS ABU SHBAK'S HOUSE
--------------


2. (SBU) HAMAS MILITARY-WING GUNMEN ATTACKED INTERNAL
SECURITY CHIEF RASHID ABU SHBAKS GAZA CITY HOME EARLY MAY 16
(ABU SHBAK WAS NOT PRESENT). THEY KILLED 6 BODYGUARDS AND
HEAVILY DAMAGED THE HOUSE, ACCORDING TO PALESTINIAN SECURITY
SOURCES. (COMMENT: HAMAS LIKELY TARGETED ABU SHBAK AS THE
PRIMARY LEADER OF PASF/FATAH OPERATIONS IN GAZA PRESENTLY.
END COMMENT). HAMAS GUNMEN ALSO ATTACKED THE HOMES OF GAZA
FATAH FIELD COMMITTEE MEMBER MAHER MIQDAD AND FATAH LEADER
(AND FORMER PSO COLONEL) SAMIR MASHARAWI WITH MORTARS AND
MACHINE GUN FIRE ON MAY 16. THEY KILLED A FORCE 17 GUARD IN
ATTACK ON MASHARAWI'S HOUSE.

7 KILLED IN AFTERMATH OF
PSO BASE STRIKE
--------------


3. (SBU) GAZA PSO SOURCES REPORT THAT 5 HAMAS PRISONERS AND
2 PSO GUARDS WERE KILLED AT 1300 ON MAY 16 WHEN HAMAS
FIGHTERS HIT THE VEHICLE CARRYING THEM WITH AN RPG. HAMAS
FIGHTERS HAD ATTACKED THE GAZA CITY BURJ AL-SALAH TOWER WITH
EXPLOSIVES AND MACHINE GUN FIRE, BUT WERE REPELLED. THE
BUILDING IS HOME TO GAZA PSO CHIEF COL. YUSIF ISSA AND FATAH
PLC MEMBER/HEAD OF GAZA'S FATAH FIELD COMMITTEE MAJID ABU
SHAMMALA. PSO GUARDS CAPTURED 5 HAMAS GUNMEN AND WERE
TRANSPORTING THEM TO THE PSO HQ WHEN THEIR VEHICLE WAS HIT
AND DESTROYED.

NSF, INTELLIGENCE, PSO BASES TARGETED
--------------


4. (C) PASF CONTACTS REPORT AT LEAST TWO DEATHS AND SEVERAL
INJURIES FROM HAMAS ATTACKS LATE MAY 15 ON THE AL-SUDANIYA
COMPOUND, WHICH HOUSES THE GENERAL INTELLIGENCE (MUKHABARAT)
HEADQUARTERS. UNRWA OFFICES AND THE NSF SARAYA HEADQUARTERS
ALSO CAME UNDER ATTACK ON MAY 15-16. (NOTE: UNRWA OPERATIONS
CHIEF JOHN GING AND UNSCO SPOKESMAN CHRIS GUNNESS CONFIRMED
THAT UNRWA HAS CEASED OPERATIONS IN GAZA CITY AND ONLY A FEW
GUARDS WERE AT THE COMPOUND. NO UNRWA STAFF HAVE BEEN HARMED
IN RECENT CLASHES. END NOTE). WHILE BOTH COMPOUNDS TOOK
HEAVY FIRE, THERE DID NOT SEEM TO BE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO
CAPTURE THE NSF HEADQUARTERS.

ABBAS PLANS GAZA TRIP
AS STREET BATTLES CONTINUE
--------------


5. (SBU) DESPITE A NEW, EGYPTIAN-BROKERED CEASEFIRE THAT WAS
SCHEDULED TO GO INTO EFFECT AT 2400 LOCAL ON MAY 15 AND A
PHONE CALL BETWEEN DAMASCUS-BASED HAMAS LEADER KHALID
MISHA'AL AND PRESIDENT ABBAS, INTENSE FIREFIGHTS CONTINUE AS
OF 1500 LOCAL ON MAY 16 IN GAZA CITY AND NORTHERN GAZA.
(NOTE: ACCORDING TO UN OFFICIALS IN GAZA, FIGHTING HAS
LARGELY BEEN LIMITED TO GAZA CITY AND THE NORTH, WITH LITTLE
DISRUPTION IN OTHER GAZA CITIES. END NOTE). ACCORDING TO
PUBLIC COMMENTS BY PLO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SECRETARY-GENERAL
YASSER ABD RABBO, PRESIDENT ABBAS HAS DELAYED HIS PLANNED
TRIP TO JORDAN AND WILL TRAVEL INSTEAD TO GAZA. SEVERAL
FATAH LEADERS, INCLUDING DEPUTY PM AZZAM AL-AHMAD, HAVE
PUBLICLY CALLED ON ABBAS TO DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY.
FATAH SECURITY COMMANDERS, KEY FACILITIES


6. (SBU) THE HAMAS MILITARY WING AND THE "EXECUTIVE FORCE"
ARE PARTICIPATING IN THESE ATTACKS. FATAH MILITIAS, THE NSF
AND PSO ARE OPPOSING THEM, WITH SOME PG AND MUKHABARAT
INVOLVEMENT. CURRENT CLASHES ARE FOCUSING ON PASF-HAMAS
MILITARY-WING GUNBATTLES IN THE NUR TOWER AREA (LOCATION OF
THE HAMAS-RUN AL-AQSA TV AND FORMER FM MAHMUD AL-ZAHAR'S
OFFICES),WHERE ONE PSO MEMBER WAS KILLED BY HAMAS SNIPER
FIRE AND A BYSTANDER WAS KILLED IN A HAMAS-PASF SHOOTOUT.
HAMAS FIGHTERS ALSO ATTACKED THE GAZA PRESIDENTIAL COMPOUND
WITH THREE MORTARS AND SMALL ARMS FIRE AT 1430 LOCAL.

ISRAELI INVOLVEMENT,
HAMAS ROCKET ATTACKS
--------------


7. (SBU) AN ISRAELI AIR ATTACK STRUCK A MAJOR EXECUTIVE
FORCE POSITION IN RAFAH AT 1400 ON MAY 16, ACCORDING TO
PALESTINIAN SECURITY CONTACTS, KILLING 4 "EXECUTIVE FORCE"
MEMBERS AND INJURING 12 OTHERS, ACCORDING TO PALESTINIAN
SECURITY SOURCES.


8. (SBU) HAMAS MILITARY-WING CREWS CLAIMED 36 QASSAM ROCKET
LAUNCHES AGAINST ISRAEL ON MAY 15-16. 17 ROCKETS STRUCK
SDEROT, INJURING 7 ISRAELIS (ONE SERIOUSLY) AND DAMAGING
SEVERAL HOUSES AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS.

COMMENT: HOW THIS ROUND OF
FATAH-HAMAS CLASHES IS DIFFERENT
--------------


9. (C) LEVELS OF VIOLENCE IN GAZA SINCE MAY 13 EQUAL OR
EXCEED THOSE IN EARLY JANUARY, BEFORE THE NATIONAL UNITY
GOVERNMENT (NUG) WAS FORMED, BUT SEVERAL KEY DIFFERENCES MAKE
CURRENT FIGHTING MORE TROUBLING:
-- NSA MUHAMMAD DAHLAN REMAINS IN EGYPT RECOVERING FROM
KNEE SURGERY, LEAVING LEADERSHIP OF FATAH-ALIGNED FORCES TO
RASHID ABU SHBAK, A STRONG BUT LESS-CHARISMATIC FIGURE;
-- HAMAS SEEMS TO HAVE HELD THE INITIATIVE IN NEARLY
ALL SIGNIFICANT ENCOUNTERS, WITH PASF UNDER PRESIDENT ABBAS'
AUTHORITY AND FATAH MILITIAS MAINTAINING A GENERAL DEFENSIVE
POSTURE IN/AROUND LARGE COMPOUNDS;
-- THE HAMAS MILITARY-WING (IZZ AL-DIN AL-QASSAM
BRIGADES),NOT THE "EXECUTIVE FORCE," HAS DONE MOST OF THE
FIGHTING, MAKING THIS A DIRECT FATAH-HAMAS CONFRONTATION
RATHER THAN A FIGHT BETWEEN SECURITY FORCES WITH DIFFERING
ALLEGIANCES;
-- HAMAS RHETORIC HAS BEEN MORE VIRULENT IN RECENT
DAYS, WITH HAMAS MILITARY-WING WEBSITE POSTINGS AND MEDIA
STATEMENTS LABELING PG MEMBERS AS TRAITORS AND ACCUSING THEM
OF ISRAELI/U.S. COLLUSION AND ATTACKS ON MOSQUES, AND
HONORING HAMAS MILITANTS KILLED IN INTERNAL FIGHTING AS
MARTYRS, A TITLE USUALLY USED FOR THOSE KILLED IN ATTACKS
AGAINST ISRAEL;
-- THERE IS NO INTERNAL PALESTINIAN POLITICAL DIALOGUE
UNDERWAY THAT COULD ACT AS A BRAKE ON THE CYCLE OF ATTACKS
AND RETALIATION;
--RIFTS WITHIN HAMAS COMPLICATE THE SITUATION. HAMAS
FORCES APPEAR TO BE UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE MILITARY WING
AND HARD-LINE POLITICAL ELEMENTS.

WALLES