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Israel Warns of Hamas Military Buildup in Gaza

[New York Times] Steven Erlanger - Hamas, the dominant faction in the Palestinian government, is building its military capacity in Gaza, constructing tunnels and underground bunkers, and smuggling in ground-to-air missiles and military-grade explosives, senior Israeli officials say. An Israeli commander said Hamas has now recruited 10,000 fighters to its Executive Force, which is receiving more military training and shares a common headquarters with Hamas' military wing. The commander said that Hamas' improved rockets had a range of about 10 miles, which would allow them to hit the Israeli town of Ashkelon. In the past two weeks alone, the army says, more than 20 Kassam rockets have been launched toward Israel. The commander noted that Fatah was so far doing little to resurrect itself, and he suggested that Mahmoud Abbas "has given up" and taken a junior role to Hamas. He said Israel wanted to give Washington space to try diplomacy. Israel also knows that any large operation in Gaza would take months, not days. Presumably, Hamas would be badly damaged by such an operation, but Israel also knows that however hurt, Hamas would not be wiped out, and that Fatah is not ready to replace it.
2007-04-02 01:00:00
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