(Guardian-UK) During the past two years, virtually the entire original leadership of Hamas in Gaza has been killed. The effectiveness of the Israeli pursuit has forced the entire current Hamas leadership in Gaza into hiding. Khader Habib, a founder of Islamic Jihad in Gaza, tells the same story: "The number of operations has decreased....There are a lot of obstacles, a lot of security. We have lost a lot of people." But paradoxically, Hamas is better positioned than ever to grasp a political role in the Gaza Strip as Israel retreats from the territory. Some opinion polls show Hamas as the most popular political organization in Gaza.
2004-07-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive