GAZA: The Israeli military attacked the Gaza Strip for a third day on Thursday night, killing two people, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency said, in another test of a fragile ceasefire agreement.
One Palestinian was killed by Israeli shelling and another was shot dead by Israeli forces, WAFA said on Friday.
The Israeli military did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.
A third Palestinian died of wounds sustained from previous Israeli shelling, the news agency reported.
The US-brokered ceasefire, which left thorny issues like the disarmament of Hamas and a timeline for Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip unresolved, has been tested by periodic outbreaks of violence since it came into place three weeks ago.
Between Tuesday and Wednesday, Israel retaliated for the death of an Israeli soldier with bombardments that Gaza health authorities said killed 104 people.
Israel said on Wednesday that it remained committed to the ceasefire despite its retaliation.
Israel says the soldier was killed in an attack by gunmen on territory within the “yellow line” where its troops withdrew under the truce. Hamas has rejected the accusation.
Palestinian militant group Hamas handed over two bodies of deceased Israeli hostages on Thursday.
Under the ceasefire accord, Hamas released all living hostages held in Gaza in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees, while Israel agreed to pull back its troops, halt its offensive and increase aid.
Hamas also agreed to hand over the remains of all 28 dead hostages in exchange for 360 Palestinian militants killed in the war. After Thursday’s release, it had handed over 17 bodies.
Hamas has said that it will take time to locate and retrieve the bodies of all the remaining hostages. Israel has accused Hamas of violating the truce by stalling in handing over bodies.
Two years of conflict in Gaza have killed over 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gazan health authorities and left the enclave in ruins.
Israel launches more strikes on Gaza overnight, testing fragile truce
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Israel launches more strikes on Gaza overnight, testing fragile truce
Palestinian president receives draft of constitution ahead of elections
- Local elections scheduled for April, Palestinian National Council elections in November
- Draft constitution maintains political pluralism, separation of powers, while also allowing parliament to carry out oversight, legislative responsibilities
LONDON: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has received a draft of the provisional constitution as the Palestinian Authority prepares to conduct elections this year.
Abbas said on Thursday that the drafting of the provisional Palestinian constitution would pave the way for the transition from the current Palestinian Authority to a fully fledged state, which to date about 160 countries have recognized.
Palestinian local elections are scheduled for April, while the Palestinian National Council elections are to take place in November, according to a decree issued by Abbas last week. The latter are for the Palestine Liberation Organization’s parliament and it will be the first time members are elected by direct popular vote, rather than appointed or co-opted.
Counselor Muhammad Al-Hajj Qasim led the drafting committee, which worked for about seven months and held 70 meetings. It consulted various civil society organizations and relevant stakeholders, according to the WAFA News Agency.
Qasim said the draft constitution maintained political pluralism and the separation of powers, while allowing parliament to carry out its oversight and legislative responsibilities. A copy of the draft will be submitted to the PLO’s Executive Committee.
The last national election for Palestinians was in 2006 but they voted for local representatives in 2021.
The Palestinian Legislative Council has not convened since 2007. Abbas dissolved the parliament in 2018 after it had remained inactive for over a decade, largely due to a rift between Fatah and Hamas, and the arrest of several MPs, primarily from Hamas, by the Israeli authorities.
