Hamas continues to rebuild its arsenal
The Palestinian militant group Hamas vowed Monday to expand its military activities against Israel into the West Bank, underscoring the challenges ahead as the organization began reconciliation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party.
Hamas has ruled Gaza since winning legislative elections in 2006 and ousting Fatah from the coastal territory the following year, a move that prompted an Israeli and Egyptian blockade. The Western-backed PA runs autonomous enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
An Egyptian-brokered deal last month saw Hamas transfer control of Gaza’s crossings with Israel and Egypt to the PA. Hamas was expected to take further steps to extend PA control over Gaza on December 1, but disagreements between the two parties have intensified.
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