GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories // Depleted by a blockade and sidelined by a Palestinian unity deal, Hamas is more isolated than ever after Israel crushed its West Bank networks in response to the killing of three teens, experts say.
“Hamas is responsible and Hamas will pay” for the killings of the Israelis who disappeared in the southern West Bank on June 12, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Monday before his air force pummelled the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli leader's warning came just hours after the bodies of the three students were found.
Hamas relinquished administration of Gaza under a unity deal with the Palestine Liberation Organisation that sought to end years of rival governments in the coastal strip and the West Bank.
But any hope the agreement might give the blacklisted Hamas breathing space was quickly dashed as Israel blamed the Islamist movement for the teenagers’ kidnap.
During Israel’s search for the three boys, five Palestinians were killed and 419 arrested – 143 of who have no links to Hamas. Hundreds of homes have also been raided.
As Israel’s cabinet mulls its response – with some ministers intent on invading Gaza and others keen on targeted strikes – Hamas has said it will “unleash hell” in the face of an Israeli “escalation” of violence.
The Islamist movement, already weakened by a blockade of Gaza since 2006, could nevertheless face considerable wrath, experts say.
“Deterioration into war is a possibility. It depends on what kind of blow Israel chooses to deal,” said West Bank-based political analyst Mohammed Muslih.
Israel may also feel pressure to deal a strong blow to Hamas to quieten Israel’s hardliners and assuage public anger at the failure to find the teens, Mr Muslih added.
A senior Hamas member agreed.
“Finding the bodies was a shock to Israel and showed it up as failing, exposing an intelligence deficiency. So Israel wants revenge and for Hamas to pay the price, whether it’s responsible or not,” said Ghazi Hammad.
Hamas has insisted it had no information about the kidnap, and has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the killings, despite Israel singling out two of its members for the abduction.
The tactic of keeping its distance from the abduction could “soften the blow” for Hamas, according to Walid Al Mudallal, politics professor at Gaza’s Islamic University.
“But Hamas will not remain silent if it’s targeted. Hamas will rock the table if it comes to a choice of going down with a fight or going down quietly,” he said.
Israeli political commentator Alex Fishman, writing in Yediot Aharonot newspaper, squarely placed responsibility for the kidnappings on Hamas’s shoulders. He suggested that if the incident was not a direct order, it was part of a general strategy.
To that end, the Islamist movement dealt itself a blow, he wrote.
“Hamas pinned its hope on the Palestinian reconciliation government, on its growing closeness with the West and on the Arab world – mainly Egypt. But then the kidnapping came along and reshuffled the deck for Hamas.
“It simply shot itself in the foot.”
The reconciliation deal, signed in late April, saw a unity government of independents sworn in on June 2, backed by Hamas and Fatah. It also saw the Islamist movement relinquish control of Gaza, where it had its own government since 2007.
Commentators expected the group to return to the background, away from the responsibilities of government, and recuperate while hiding behind the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority headed by President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel’s arrest of hundreds of Hamas members after the kidnap quickly snuffed out hope of a grassroots recovery.
And as Israel’s government mulls its response to the killing, some observers fear the worst for Hamas.
Israel will conduct a “widespread revenge” operation, according to Mr Al Mudallal, who said the more than 34 overnight air strikes in the Strip were merely a “dress rehearsal for war”.
* Agence France-Presse
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
SHAITTAN
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RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain