- On Friday, July 19, 2019, the return march in the Gaza Strip was held with about 6,500 participants (similar to the previous week). Acts of violence included attempts to sabotage the security fence, as well as throwing IEDs, hand grenades and Molotov cocktails. Many Israeli flags were burned. The scope of incendiary and IED balloons launched into Israeli territory continued to decrease, but the launchings continue
- A Hamas delegation headed by Saleh al-‘Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, visited Tehran. The delegation met with Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials. Iranian and Palestinian statements mentioned that Hamas has precision missiles that can reach vital centers in Israel. The threat of precision weapons was also prominent in the most recent speech given by Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah secretary general. In ITIC assessment, it is an indication that at the present time the Iranians want to emphasize the threat.
- On July 22, 2019 Israeli security forces razed buildings in the Wadi Hums neighborhood near Sur Baher in southeast Jerusalem. The Israeli Supreme Court authorized their destruction since they were built illegally near the security fence. The Palestinian Authority called the destruction a “war crime” and said it would appeal to the International Criminal Court in The Hague and to the UN Security Council. The Palestinian government said the families would receive full compensation for the damage incurred and would immediately be lodged in alternative housing.
- This past week Hamas’ summer camps began, supervised by its military wing. Tens of thousands of Gazan youngsters will attend the camps. A spokesman from Hamas military wing said their objectives were to “prepare the Palestinian people’s generation of liberation” and strengthen the “path of resistance” [i.e., terrorism]. The summer campers’ training includes exiting tunnels and storming an Israeli target.
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