Extortion is the crime of obtaining money or property by threat to a victim's property or loved ones, intimidation, or false claim of a right.
A delegation of Egyptian intelligence officials left the Gaza Strip Saturday, having participated in meetings with Hamas officials since Thursday to discuss stabilizing the security situation and efforts to establish a long-term calm with Israel.
Meanwhile Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that Hamas is concerned that Israel will take a tougher stance on Gaza following the past week’s violent conflict, and may walk back moves it has made to ease the economic plight in the enclave.
A source in the terror group told the paper that such action “would be a declaration of war and our response will be strong and more intense than previously.”
Hamas officials voiced their concern to Egyptian officials but were assured there was no change Israel’s position regarding understandings previously reached, the report said. The Egyptians, meanwhile, demanded that Hamas continue to restrain border demonstrations and keep them away from the security fence.
As part of efforts to secure a long-term ceasefire, earlier this month Israel allowed Qatar to send funds into Gaza meant to pay salaries of Palestinian civil servants in the Strip.
The $15 million in cash brought into the territory was to be the first of six similar installments. Israel has also been allowing Qatari-bought fuel to enter the Strip for the operation of its sole power plant.
Also Saturday the Israeli army said it fired towards a Palestinian who approached the border fence behaving in a suspicious manner, after he failed to respond to warnings to move back. The man was hit and fled back into the Strip.
On Friday at least one Palestinian was killed and more than a dozen injured during clashes on the Gaza border, Palestinian media reports said. The protests came despite IDF warnings that there would be “zero tolerance” for violence.
Some 8,000 Palestinians gathered at the border. Most stayed away from the border fence, although some burned tires and threw rocks at soldiers who responded with tear gas and occasional live fire.
Palestinian organizers of the weekly clashes had on Thursday urged Gazans to demonstrate Friday “to thank the resistance” for battling Israel.
Since March, Palestinians have been holding the weekly “March of Return” protests on the border, which Israel has accused Gaza’s Hamas rulers of using to carry out attacks on troops and attempt to breach the security fence.
On Thursday, in the wake of a massive flareup in violence that brought the region to the brink of another war, Israel’s military liaison to the Palestinians threatened Gazans that Israel’s “patience has run out and we will respond severely” to those who take part in clashes along the border.
The flareup in violence between Hamas and Israel this week was the largest since the 2014 Gaza war.
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