Palestinian Troops Deployed
Thousands of Palestinian troops began deploying outside Israeli settlements Sunday to prevent Palestinian militants from carrying out attacks during Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said.
Witnesses saw dozens of cars carrying Palestinian troops moving into the southern Gaza town of Rafah, and Palestinian officials say that by Sunday evening 7,500 security officers will be in place on the outskirts of the settlements across Gaza.
The Israelis and Palestinians also set up a joint operations center on the Gaza border to help them respond rapidly to any violence.
Militant groups in Gaza claim credit for the Israeli withdrawal, saying their attacks over nearly 5 years of violence drove Israel out. Israel has said it would take harsh action in areas near the settlements if soldiers and settlers are attacked during the pullout.
Palestinian Interior Ministry spokesman Tawfiq Abu Khoussa said the Palestinian troop deployment was undertaken in coordination with Israel. Some Palestinian troops were to be position as close as 150 meters from some settlements.
About 55,000 Israeli troops and police are expected to take part in the pullout, some removing the settlers from their homes while others protected against militant attacks and still others worked to prevent Israeli protesters from hampering the withdrawal.
Earlier Sunday, several Israeli soldiers were hurt in a friendly fire incident in the Gaza Strip early Sunday, witnesses said. The military had no immediate comment.
Circumstances of the incident were unclear. Palestinians allegedly opened fire on an Israeli force near the settlement of Kfar Darom, and the soldiers fired back. Either a shell fired by an Israeli tank hit other soldiers, or the tank ran them down, the witnesses said. The condition of the wounded was not immediately known.
In other developments, the militant group Hamas came out of hiding Saturday to hold a mass news conference, distributing the phone numbers of 34 multilingual spokesmen in a fight for influence over the Gaza Strip ahead of Israel's withdrawal next week.
As the struggle heats up between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, both of whom claim responsibility for Israel's evacuation of 21 Gaza Strip settlements and four West Bank enclaves
Determined to win the airwaves, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday inaugurated a special Gaza-withdrawal media center, complete with live-feed points for TV crews, a 24-hour text messaging service for news updates, maps, and free hats and T-shirts.
The Hamas leadership went underground after Israel began targeting the group's highest ranks, including spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin and his successor, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, both killed by missile strikes.
But recently Hamas has challenged the Palestinian Authority and even made a strong showing in West Bank and Gaza municipal elections.
At the news conference Saturday, its top leaders said Abbas' Fatah movement could not be the sole decision-making body and insisted Hamas has the right to possess arms.
"Hamas remains committed to the choice of resistance as a strategic choice. Hamas remains committed to its military wing and its right to possess weapons," said Ismail Haniyye.
The Islamic group does not plan to battle the Palestinian Authority but "rejects the idea of allowing any single party to monopolize the decision-making process," he added.