Gaza Strip - Hamas - Israel - military - Palestinian Territories
In Gaza, with Palestinian military groups
Friday 29 August 2008
In Gaza, the ceasefire with Israel is an occasion for Hamas and Islamic Jihad's military group to demonstrate their strength and to galvanize their supporters, as FRANCE 24's Gaza correspondent Abou Dagga discovers.
Friday 29 August 2008
By Abou Dagga (video)Despite the current cease-fire with Israel, Palestinian military groups remain ready for action. Islamic Jihad and its armed branch, the Al-Quds Brigades, invited us to their training ground to show that they too are - more than ever - prepared for the battle.
Tension is high, just as if the Al-Quds Brigades were on the brink of battle: weapons are primed, home-made missiles ready to strike neighboring Israeli communities. It’s a similar sight with Hamas and their armed branch, the Al-Qassam Brigades. They won’t let us film their special training operations but they to allow us to show their night-patrols in the streets of Gaza.
Armed forces are visible everywhere and so are political meetings: day and night Islamic leaders are multiplying public gatherings. Troops are galvanized with the recurrent motto: be prepared to fight Israel. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are both convinced the present truce will not last.
On camera Islamic Jihad explicitly conducts very special military exercises, such as abduction operations and the use of new explosives. The message is clear: the troops have acquired new skills.
Explosions do not seem to frighten the children who attend this military demonstration. That may be because they’ve always lived in a land torn by war, or because of the recruitment at an early age for what is known here as the Palestinian Resistance.
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