Hamas gunmen kill seven at Arafat memorial rally
November 13, 2007 8:44 am Gaza under HamasANALYSIS: Hamas losing grip on Gaza, Fatah gaining support, Haaretz, November 13, 2007
The Hamas gunmen who sought to disperse the crowd at the rally Monday in Gaza marking the third anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat did not use rubber-coated bullets or tear gas; they simply opened fire on the crowd, leaving seven dead and dozens injured. In so doing, they added to the pressure under which the Islamic organization is laboring five months after it took over the Gaza Strip from Fatah forces.
Some people in the West Bank Monday were recalling the “million-man rally” held by the anti-Syrian faction in Beirut after the assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, and the wave of protest that brought about the ejection of the Syrian army from Lebanon. Hamas will not give up Gaza so easily - they have nowhere to go - but senior Fatah members believe the rally might mark the beginning of the end of the bloody Hamas regime in Gaza.
Opposition to Hamas in the Strip, and concomitantly renewed support for Fatah, are on the rise, and the recent violence is expected to reduce Hamas’ status further on the Palestinian street, as people in Gaza see Hamas using its terror tactics against its own people.