ASSESSMENTS

Between a Rock and a Hard Place in Gaza

Jan 6, 2017 | 09:05 GMT

Members of the Izz al-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, take part in a Dec. 14 rally in Gaza City marking Hamas' 29th anniversary. A blockade by Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula has cut weapons supplies to the Palestinian group.
Members of the Izz al-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, take part in a Dec. 14 rally in Gaza City marking Hamas' 29th anniversary. A blockade by Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula has cut weapons supplies to the Palestinian group.

(MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images)

Hamas is in an even tighter spot than usual. Though the Palestinian party is accustomed to navigating restrictions on its activities, for the past month traders and merchants in the northern Sinai Peninsula have reported interruptions to their usual trade and smuggling operations into Hamas-controlled Gaza. Members of the Islamic State's Wilayat Sinai are behind this new blockade, an effort to punish Hamas for resisting greater coordination with the extremist group and for arresting Islamic State supporters in the Gaza Strip, apparently at Egypt's behest. The blockade has already hurt Hamas, according to local media and Stratfor sources in Gaza. Public markets are reportedly experiencing shortages, and the limited supply of weapons has driven up the price for Hamas. Party leaders have maintained that the blockade will not be much of a hindrance since Hamas can produce its own weapons. Continued production, however, depends on a steady supply of raw materials...

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