GAZA CITY — The Palestinian Authority has gone underground as
Israeli forces have advanced 12 kilometers through the northern Gaza Strip.
Palestinian sources said the Hamas-led government has disappeared over
the last two days.
"You won't find one Hamas minister either at home or in his office," a
source said.
The sources said the PA has relayed orders through couriers in
an effort to fight the advancing Israel Army in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli military officials said their goal was to target military systems rather than to take back territory, Middle East Newsline reported.
"The method of operation has been that of raids rather than conquest,"
Maj. Gen. Yoav Gallant, head of the military's Southern Command, said. "We
aren't seeking territorial assets."
"Since the withdrawal, there has been a significant influx of weapons,"
Brig. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, head of Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, said.
"So, we took all the operations, systems and techniques that the terrorists
did not necessarily expect, and that's how we will continue over the coming
days."
The army has begun withdrawing troops from southern Gaza Strip, military
sources said. They said the military would not retain a ground force in the
Palestinian Authority but prepare for frequent incursions in the Gaza Strip.
On Thursday, the PA Interior Ministry ordered security forces to fight
Israeli troops closing in from northern and southern Gaza. Interior Minister
Said Siyyam, regarded as close to Hamas leader Khaled Masha'al, also relayed
instructions to the National Security Forces, the largest
paramilitary force in the Gaza Strip.
Siyyam's instructions have not been obeyed, the sources said. The
Interior Ministry controls only the 3,000-member anti-crime unit established
by Hamas in May 2006.
Most of the PA agencies have been under the nominal authority of PA
Chairman Mahmoud
Abbas. The sources said Abbas has opposed Siyyam's order.
PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniya has sought to demonstrate leadership
during the Israeli invasion. On Thursday, Haniya, after an absence of two
days, visited a hospital in Gaza City that was treating Palestinians injured
in fighting with Israeli troops.
"It's a crime against humanity," Haniya said during his brief
appearance.
Despite the Israeli invasion, the militia war continued in the Gaza
Strip. On July 5, Hussein Ahmad Mustafa Abu Ajwa, regarded as a leading
figure in Hamas, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen who drove in a
car with PA government license plates.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights said Abu Ajwa was injured by
gunmen who trailed his vehicle in Gaza City. The center said Abu Ajwa was
forced to stop, dragged out of his car and shot dead.
On Thursday, Hamas's military wing accused a "group of traitors" of
killing Abu Ajwa. The reference was to the Fatah movement headed by Abbas.
At least 30 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military
advance from the north and south of the Gaza Strip in an effort to destroy
insurgency strongholds and locate an abducted Israeli soldier. Israeli
military sources said Palestinian gunners have surrounded themselves with
youngsters in an effort to prevent Israeli counter-fire.
"The Palestinians have been firing RPGs, automatic weapons and setting
explosive charges," Lt. Col. Yaniv, a battalion commander, said.
