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Will the IDF be forced to return to the Gaza Strip after the Civil War?

February 5, 2007

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A FRACTURED GOVERNMENT

HAMAS controls the Palestinian Authority in Gaza – FATAH controls the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

The current situation in the Palestinian government reminds me of a cartoon series that once ran on TV in conjunction with the old Rocky J. Squirrel and Bull Winkle Series – called FRACTURED FAIRY TALES.

The name chosen for Ishmael (the forefather of most of those involved in the current PA civil war) and the multiplicity of civil wars that have occurred repeatedly among all his descendents across the Middle East for the last 100 years, provides living proof that God correctly described the characteristics of his descendents as wild men, wild asses, that would dwell across the Middle East in the presence of all his brethren

Genesis 16:11,12 – And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.

[12] And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

The descendents of Ishmael are not going to settle down until the Seed of Abraham, the Messiah through Isaac, Jacob (the man Israel), David, and Mary, comes at his Second Advent to bring a genuine peace to the Middle East.

Luke 21:25-27 – And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; [26] Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. [27] And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

He will come with a greater glory than our tiny Sun, which is a star that lights our solar system, and will arrive as God’s only begotten Son, the descendent of Abraham, Isaac, Israel, David and Mary.

Malachi 4:1-3 – For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. [2] But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. [3] And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

His manner of coming will be “quickly” when he comes, and his reward for the saved will be with him.

Revelation 22:12 – And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

He is the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel through David, and brighter than our Star, the Sun, which lights our solar system.

Revelation 22:16 – I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David,

and the bright and morning star.

Numbers 24:17,18 – I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise

out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. [18] And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. (Please see Archive Prophecy Updates 149A and B).

HAMAS controls the Palestinian Authority in Gaza – FATAH controls the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

Begin DEBKAfile Report

Israel’s New Top Soldier May Have to Take on the Politicians First – before the Enemy

February 4, 2007, 4:46 PM (GMT+02:00)

The incoming chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi,

won a full four-year term when the cabinet unanimously endorsed him Sunday, Feb 4, instead of the standard 3 years and an optional fourth. He takes the reins from the hands of Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz on Feb. 14. Ashkenazi faces some hard choices before he can settle into the job. The flames of a Palestinian civil war engulfing the Gaza Strip pose a multiple threat to Israel which his bosses, the politicians, persist in brushing aside.

At the cabinet meeting Sunday, vice prime minister Shimon Peres stressed that Israel must not interfere in the Fatah-Hamas factional fight, tossing out typical sound bites: “Leave Gaza to the Gazans.” “We did not pull out in order to return.” “Our interference would be harmful.”

Defense minister Amir Peretz seconded these sentiments.

Neither admits that Israel is already deeply involved in the Gaza war. The new chief of staff will be called upon to judge the situation in the light of national security. If he emulates his predecessor, who slavishly obeyed Ariel Sharon, he will be dismissed as the second political appointee in a row to fill the post of top Israeli soldier.The consequences of Halutz’s meekness were plain to see in the Lebanon War last summer and the breakdown of life, law and order in the Gaza Strip, where Israel’s unilateral pullback left the territory without a Palestinian authority capable of taking charge.

But if the new chief of staff stands up to the policy-makers and keeps the country clear of fresh security blunders, he will go down as a worthy heir of the fine professional tradition of Israel’s past generals.

Ashkenazi faces his first test in the Gaza Strip.

Israel not only supplies the Fatah side led by Muhammad Dahlan with weapons and money to fight Hamas, but also intelligence and logistical backing, thereby sending two messages:

1. If Dahlan cannot finish Hamas, the IDF will go in and do it for him.

2. Even if Fatah under his generalship carries the day, the IDF will have to return to the Gaza Strip to destroy the thousands of missiles Hamas and Jihad Islami have stockpiled for attacking Israel. It is understood that Dahlan cannot complete this part of the campaign himself because this would compromise his bid to succeed Mahmoud Abbas as chairman of the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian and Arab streets would not forgive him for the sin of destroying Muslim weapons aimed at the Jewish State.

DEBKAfile’s military sources disclose that IDF preparations to retake sections of the Gaza Strip are in place.

In stark contrast to the July-Aug 2006 Lebanon War, which left northern Israel prey to Katyusha attack, the defense ministry and military authorities are planning to evacuate the 100,000 civilians living in Sderot and the towns and villages within missile range of Gaza to get them out of harm’ s way of retaliation.

This would be another first; Israel has never before evacuated a large population from a potential war zone.

The plan of campaign for the partial reoccupation of the Gaza Strip was compiled by the outgoing chief of staff, his deputy, Maj.-Gen Moshe Kaplinsky, commander of ground forces Maj.-Gen Benny Ganz and OC southern command, Maj.-Gen. Yoav Galant. Halutz had hoped to execute it before he quit so as to replace the black marks of the Lebanon War at the end of his service with a successful expedition. But even he lost patience with the way the heads of government dithered over the decision to go forward.

It is therefore over to Ashkenazi. He will be carefully watched to see how he performs as the general of a war in progress and how he copes with a prime minister and defense minister who are at odds.

The cabinet carried Peretz’s demand to extend the chief of staff’s stint from three to four years, further cementing the defense minister’s success in frustrating the prime minister. Ehud Olmert has been stalled in all his efforts to shift Peretz out of the defense ministry and was forced to bow to Peretz’s choice of a chief of staff whom the minister believes to be shaped in his political mold.

Begin Article from Jewish Center for Public Affairs

HAMAS TIGHTENS HOLD IN GAZA

Steven Erlanger

February 5, 2007

Hamas forces appeared to consolidate their hold on northern Gaza and much of Gaza City on Saturday, overrunning and sometimes destroying headquarters of the Fatah-dominated Preventive Security forces. Ghada Abu Daoud, who works for the Gaza office of a Persian Gulf emirate, said: “It’s Hamas that seems to initiate every raid, and the number of Fatah wounded seems higher.” Dr. Jumaa al-Saqqa, a spokesman for Al Shifa hospital, Gaza’s largest, said Hamas forces had taken over the hospital and were using it as a protected firing position. He said blood supplies were low, and that “people aren’t willing to give blood for this internal fighting.” Many senior Fatah leaders left Gaza to go to the West Bank, taking their families. (New York Times)

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Supreme Hamas Leader Mashaal runs the Show from Damascus!

February 5, 2007

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There has never been any question that the Hamas Supreme Leader Khaled Mashaal, is

the one who calls the shots in the Majority Hamas Palestinian Authority government in Israel.

If he is still alive when a false peace finally comes to Israel, he will have been deceitfully involved in it. He calls the shots from his protected headquarters perched in the city of Damascus.

It will be very interesting to see what comes out of the Mecca Summit on Tuesday. Mashaal is desperate to end the bloodshed between Hamas and Fatah, and might moderate his harsh position toward peace with Israel to stop it.

However, Mashaal is already preparing a secondary plan of deceit if the Mecca Summit fails. In the second article, it appears he is setting the stage for a new series of riots, like the ones that began over the Temple Mount when Israeli Prime Minister Sharon visited it during the tenure of Yasser Arafat, which marked the beginning of the 2000 intifada. If he can turn all the terrorist groups toward shedding Israeli blood in an intifada, it will end the civil war between Fatah and Hamas.

Begin the First Article from the Jerusalem Post

Hamas, Fatah hopeful on Mecca Summit

Khaled Abu Toameh, THE JERUSALEM POST

February 4, 2007

Hamas and Fatah representatives on Sunday expressed hope that the upcoming summit in Saudi Arabia between Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal will end the fighting between the two parties and result in the formation of a PA unity government.

Meanwhile, a cease-fire announced between the two parties on Saturday appeared to be holding in the Gaza Strip

as Fatah and Hamas militiamen refrained from street fighting.

However, PA security officials reported that some incidents of violence, including mutual kidnappings, continued. They said among those kidnapped was Ashraf Dahlan, a 20-year-old nephew of senior Fatah operative Muhammad Dahlan, a sworn enemy of Hamas.

Fatah and Hamas representatives who met late Sunday agreed to withdraw all their gunmen from the streets

and rooftops, deploy PA policemen in sensitive areas and release all those who were abducted.

The agreement was announced in the presence of Egyptian mediators Burhan Hamad and Ahmed Abdel Khalek.

Abbas and Mashaal are scheduled to meet in Mecca on Tuesday at the invitation of King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz. PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh will participate in the discussions along with Ghazi Hamad, Hamas’s government spokesman; Osama Hamdan, Hamas’s representative in Lebanon; and Ahmed Bahar, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Abbas will be accompanied by former PA prime minister Ahmed Qurei and Fatah legislator Azzam al-Ahmed.

The summit will be the second of its kind in the past few weeks.

At the previous summit between Abbas and Mashaal in Damascus, the two failed to resolve their differences over the formation of a unity government, triggering a new wave of violence in the Gaza Strip.

“We must not fail this time,” Mashaal told reporters in Damascus on Sunday. “It is forbidden to shed Palestinian blood and there are limits that should not be trespassed. We belong to one people and share the same cause.”

Abbas urged Hamas and Fatah gunmen to halt the fighting and direct their guns against Israel.

“We must unite the Hamas and Fatah blood in the struggle against Israel as we did at the beginning of the intifada” he said. “We want political partnership with Fatah and we are not only optimistic, but also very serious about this, and that’s why we are going to Mecca.”

Issa al-Nashar, a senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip, said he was very optimistic about the prospects of the summit.

“The two sides are very close to striking a deal on the unity government,” he said. “They have resolved 96 percent of the sticking issues.

The only dispute is over the identity of the deputy prime minister, who will be from Fatah.”

Nabil Amr, a top Fatah official and adviser to Abbas, expressed hope that the summit would consolidate the latest cease-fire.

“A political agreement between the two sides will put an end to the bloody events in the Gaza Strip,” he said. “Without such an agreement, the situation will continue to deteriorate.”

Fatah spokesman Jamal Nazal said he was less optimistic.

“I’m not aware of any significant progress regarding the formation of a unity government,” he said. “We were close to reaching such an agreement before the last cycle of violence. But today the unity government issue is still being regarded as a remote, if not impossible, mission.”

Hamas’s armed wing, Izaddin Kassam, issued a three-day ultimatum to the gunmen and security officers who stormed the Islamic University in Gaza City last Thursday to surrender or face the consequences of their actions.

“Anyone who surrenders before next Wednesday will not be harmed,” said a statement issued by the group. “We want to give a chance to all those who were involved in this murderous scheme before it’s too late.”

Hamas has accused Abbas’s security forces of attacking the university and setting many of its departments on fire.

The attack came hours after Hamas gunmen seized a number of trucks that were allegedly carrying weapons to Abbas’s Presidential Guard in the Gaza Strip.

In Ramallah, Fatah gunmen went on a rampage inside the offices of the Hamas-run Ministry for Prisoners Affairs and stole the personal computer of its minister, Wasfi Kabaha.•

Begin the Second Article from the Jerusalem Post

‘Israel playing with fire if hits Aksa’

Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST

February 4, 2007

Hamas leader-in-exile Khaled Mashaal lashed out at Israel on Sunday for an assault that allegedly took place Sunday on a road in Jerusalem’s Old City called the Magharbeh, or Moroccans’ Road.
The assault, he claimed, would make it easier for IDF troops to attack the revered Al-Aksa Mosque and other Islamic sites nearby in the future.
“Israel, who today is playing with fire when it touches Al-Aksa, knows the consequences of this playing with fire,” Mashaal said.
He also called on Palestinians in Jerusalem and everywhere to launch a “comprehensive, popular and continuous action to defend the Al-Aksa Mosque and Jerusalem.”
Mashaal warned Prime Minister Ehud Orlmert that this action would mimic the riots that erupted after former prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the Al-Aksa compound in 2000.

“Olmert must learn the lesson … the Israeli military and security command must learn the lesson of Sharon who sparked the intifada,” Mashaal said.

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ISLAMIC CREATION THEORIES

France takes a Stand on the Wrong Issue!

February 4, 2007

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How ironic that France runs scared on most issues when it comes to confronting the Islamic terrorists, but takes a stand against them on the teaching of evolution.

I doubt if either France or Islam would like what I believe about the creation of the universe in Archive Prophecy Update Numbers 148A to 148H.

Begin Reuters Report from http://DAWN.com

French schools warned over evolution book

PARIS, Feb 2: France’s education ministry has warned schools around the country against `Islamic creationism theories’ after several thousand copies of an anti-Darwinist book from Turkey were mailed to them, an official said on Friday.

The lavishly illustrated `Atlas of Creation’ by Harun Yahya, who runs a large Islamic publishing operation from Istanbul, was sent to schools and universities over the past 10 days in a move that has baffled authorities, she said.

The Turkish original of the 768-page book, which rejects evolution, first appeared in Turkey late last year when it was also sent unsolicited to schools.

It sees Charles Darwin’s theory of the `survival of the fittest’ as the root of many of today’s ills, including modern terrorism.

The French official, who asked not to be named, said puzzled school rectors had alerted the ministry to the large-format book full of lavish photographs meant to show that current animal species look exactly like the fossils of their ancestors.

“We asked them to be very careful because this book develops theories that are not in harmony with what the pupils learn,” she said. “Our teaching is based on the theory of evolution. These books have no place in our schools. ”The book appears to have been mailed from Turkey and Germany to schools all around France.

“We have no exact figures but I think they could number several thousand copies,” she said.

“They do not seem to have targeted specific areas,” she added. France’s five-million-strong Muslim community, Europe’s largest minority, is concentrated in some areas such as the Paris region.—Reuters

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Iran and Syria work through Hamas to prevent a Palestinian State!

February 4, 2007

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There have been nine cease fires between Hamas and Fatah during the last two months. Hamas has been the major roadblock to any sort of a peace with Israel because it refuses to recognize her as a nation, will not denounce terrorism, and fails to recognize any previous agreements the PA made with the Israelis. Hamas is really run from her headquarters in Syria by her supreme leader, who in turn gets his directives from Iran and Syria.

Iran and Syria don’t want to see a Palestinian State formed in the Gaza Strip

and West Bank. Hamas will not recognize Israel’s right to exist as a state in the Middle East, repeatedly stat

ing they want to drive Israel into the Sea. So Iran and Syria have indeed promoted the civil war now going on between Hamas and Fatah. It is very simple – civil war, no peace agreement – no peace agreement, no Palestinian State.

I do believe they will finally work out their differences, and somewhere on down the road, there will eventually be a peace agreement of short duration followed by a vicious surprise Jihad from the north.

The following three Jerusalem Post articles give a good synopsis of the current situation and negotiations proposed to end the crisis.

Jerusalem Post Article Number 1

PA officials accuse Iran, Syria of promoting Civil War

Khaled Abu Toameh, THE JERUSALEM POST

January 28, 2007

Palestinian Authority officials on Sunday accused Iran and Syria of pushing the Palestinians toward civil war, saying Hamas is acting on orders from Teheran and Damascus.

The allegation came as the number of Palestinians killed in internecine fighting rose to 27. Six more Palestinians were killed Sunday in armed clashes between Hamas and Fatah gunmen in various locations in the Gaza Strip.

In a related development, Hamas and Fatah officials welcomed a Saudi invitation to hold reconciliation talks in Mecca.

The invitation, which was issued by King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz, is the first of its kind and signals the Saudi government’s concern over the growing involvement of Iran and Syria in Palestinian affairs.

In Nablus, the largest West Bank city, Fatah gunmen kidnapped 10 Hamas members and demanded the resignation of PA Interior Minister Said Siam of Hamas and the dismantlement of Hamas’s “Executive Force” in the Gaza Strip.

“Iran and Syria are encouraging Hamas to continue fighting against Fatah,” said a senior official in PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s office. “They want to deliver a message to the Americans that there will be no stability in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon as long as Washington continues to ignore Syria and Iran.”

Another PA official said the leaders of Iran and Syria were also responsible for the failure of talks between Fatah and Hamas over the formation of a Palestinian unity government.

“They are putting heavy pressure on Hamas not to make any concessions that would facilitate the formation of a unity government,” he said. “They are trying to undermine US allies in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon.”

Members of Fatah’s armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, kidnapped 10 Hamas activists in Nablus, including Sheikh Fayyad al-Aghbar, a member of the city’s municipal council.

Eyewitnesses said Aghbar was snatched by dozens of Fatah gunmen as he waited in line inside the local branch of the Arab-Islamic Bank.

The Fatah gunmen also raided the local offices of the Hamas-run Education Ministry and kidnapped five employees affiliated with Hamas. The attackers destroyed furniture and equipment inside the offices, the eyewitnesses said.

A man who tried to prevent the gunmen from kidnapping his relative, who is also a Hamas member, was shot in the legs, they said.

The gunmen issued a statement demanding the resignation of Siam and the dismantlement of Hamas’s security force in the Gaza Strip. They accused Aghbar of issuing orders to Hamas gunmen in the West Bank to shoot Fatah members. The statement said the hostages were senior Hamas leaders in Nablus.

During an emergency meeting of the Hamas-led government in Gaza City, PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh urged Palestinians to abandon violence and endorse dialogue as the only means for solving differences.

He appealed to Abbas to order all militiamen to withdraw from the streets and to remove security checkpo ints set up

in many areas in the Gaza Strip.

“Palestinian society does not need to be further militarized,” Haniyeh said. “The Interior Ministry alone is responsible for restoring law and order.”

Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a senior Abbas aide, responded by holding Haniyeh’s government responsible for the latest deterioration because of its failure to respect the law and democracy.

“No one in Hamas has the right to shed alligator tears,” he said. “They are sending death squads to attack and destroy the homes of residents in the Gaza Strip.”

Abdel Rahman launched a scathing attack on Siam, accusing him of using the “Executive Force” to kill Palestinians.

“Where in the world do you have an interior minister who establishes a 5,000-strong force and orders it to kill anyone he chooses?” he asked. “How can a responsible man like Siam describe Fatah as a Zionist-American pawn?”

Abdel Rahman said Hamas had deployed dozens of snipers on rooftops in the Gaza Strip to kill civilians and attack public institutions.

“National dialogue is the only alternative to the dialogue of bullets,” he said. “It is also an alternative to killing children.”

Egyptian security officials based in Gaza City met Sunday with Haniyeh and Fatah leaders in a bid to end the fighting amid reports that Cairo had threatened to halt its mediation efforts because of the latest flare-up.

Sources in Gaza City told The Jerusalem Post that the Egyptian officials, Burhan Hamad and Ahmed Abdel Khalek, delivered a warning to the two parties from Egyptian General Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman to the effect that Cairo would suspend its efforts if the fighting continued.

Jerusalem Post Article Number 2 – The Fighting Continues

Hamas, Fatah gunmen battle throughout Gaza Strip

Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST

January 29, 2007

Hamas and Fatah gunmen battled each other across the Gaza Strip early Monday, attacking security compounds, knocking out an electrical transformer and kidnapping several local commanders in some of the most extensive factional fighting in recent weeks.

Two people were killed and large parts of Gaza City were plunged into darkness.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt offered to mediate, as Information Minister Youssef Rizka of Hamas warned that the two sides are close to civil war. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah said the infighting, which has claimed more than 60 lives since December, was shameful, and offered to host talks in the holy city of Mecca.

Jerusalem Post Article Number 3 – The Fighting Continues

Hamas captures key posts in Gaza

Khaled Abu Toameh, THE JERUSALEM POST

February 3, 2007

Security forces loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas suffered a major blow on Saturday when a number of their headquarters fell into the hands of Hamas militiamen in the Gaza Strip.

Some of the security installations were completely damaged by fire while others were leveled by Hamas militiamen and their supporters. The attackers captured documents and equipment as residents rushed to loot the offices.

“This was the biggest attack of its kind on our security headquarters,” a senior PA official told The Jerusalem Post. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough forces to protect the buildings. We’re very concerned that Hamas has taken over the security compounds and stolen many files.”

The official said he was unaware of reports that dozens of PA security officers had defected to Hamas in the past three days. He dismissed as “lies” claims by Hamas that American and Israeli security experts were helping Abbas’s forces.

Following three days of heavy fighting, Hamas and Fatah announced Saturday evening that they had reached another cease -fire

agreement and urged their supporters to halt the clashes.

Palestinian officials confirmed that Abbas will meet this week with Syria-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in another bid to end the violence and reach an agreement on the formation of a Palestinian unity government.

The meeting, the officials said, will take place in either Saudi Arabia or Qatar, whose ruler phoned Abbas Saturday and invited him to

an urgent meeting in Doha.

At least 25 Palestinians were killed and nearly 300 wounded in the armed clashes since Thursday, when Hamas gunmen attacked a convoy of vehicles that was allegedly carrying weapons and military equipment for forces loyal to Abbas.

Among the casualties were four children and a woman. Hospital

officials, who appealed for blood donations, said 41 of the wounded are in critical condition.

The latest cease-fire – the ninth in the past two months – was reached with the help of Egyptian security officials based in the Gaza Strip. The seven-point deal calls for withdrawing all militiamen from the streets and rooftops, deploying PA policemen in troubled areas to impose law and order, releasing all those who were kidnapped by both sides and ending the war of words between the two parties.

The cease-fire, the second of its kind in the past few days, was reached during a meeting between Hamas and Fatah leaders in the Egyptian Representative Office in Gaza City.

Even after the agreement was announced, Fatah and Hamas gunmen continued to exchange gunfire in different locations of the Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses said the fiercest fighting took place inside and around Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital. At least 10 people were wounded, and 50 wounded in Saturday’s violence.

Hamas said the attack on the convoy of trucks was aimed at thwarting an attempt to deliver US-supplied weapons to Abbas’s forces. Hamas gunmen managed to seize some of the trucks, which entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt through the Rafah border crossing, after killing and capturing several members of Abbas’s Presidential Guard who were escorting the convoy.

Hours later, hundreds of Presidential Guard officers stormed the Islamic University premises in Gaza City, killing a number of Hamas gunmen and setting many buildings on fire. A statement by the Hamas-controlled Islamic University said the library and several halls were destroyed, as well as a number of laboratories. University officials estimate the damage at more than $15 million.

PA security sources claimed that the raid on the university led to the discovery of various types of weapons, including rockets and rifles. Hamas, however, denied that its members had used the university to store weapons. Hamas officials said the real purpose of the attack was the belief that kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit was being held in a basement beneath one of the campus buildings.

Khaled Halak, a spokesman for the university, said the fire was still raging inside the building on Saturday as fire engines were unable to reach it because of the continued fighting on the streets. He said the 20,000 students who were supposed to resume studies on Saturday after a two-week recess have been asked to stay away.

PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas accused Abass’s forces of destroying and ransacking the university and urged the PA chairman to assume his responsibilities and stop such assaults on academic institutions.

Haniyeh also announced that his government would allocate one million dollars to help repair the damage.

In response to the attack on the Islamic University, Hamas gunmen set fire to the offices of the Fatah-run Al-Quds University in Gaza City. The student union at the university condemned the attack as cowardly and murderous and accused Hamas’s “Executive Force.”

“What does it mean to attack a university with rocket-propelled grenades as if it were a military fortress?” the union asked in a statement.

Hamas militiamen also fired a number of rockets at the Fatah-run Al-Azhar University in Gaza City.

No casualties were reported.

The attack on the Islamic University was also followed by raids on the headquarters of several PA security branches.

In one attack, 15 Presidential Guard officers were killed, while another resulted in the death of the head of the PA’s General Intelligence Force in the northern Gaza Strip. Hamas gunmen also set fire or leveled a number of police stations and security installations belonging to Abbas’s forces.

In response, Abbas’s forces occupied the building of the Hamas-run Ministry of Agriculture and confiscated computers, furniture and documents. They also launched several rockets at the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Communications and Technology.

In Nablus, Fatah gunmen kidnapped Dr. Khader Sondak, dean of the Islamic affairs department at An-Najah University, who is affiliated with Hamas. The gunmen said he would remain in captivity until Hamas ends its siege of the home of Samih Madhoun, a senior Fatah operative in the Gaza Strip.

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Nasrallah finally tells the Truth!

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