GAZA: Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal, in Gaza, attends the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Islamic movement

Record ID: 213821

  • Title: GAZA: Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal, in Gaza, attends the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Islamic movement
  • Date: 8th December 2012
  • Summary: CHILD WATCHING CELEBRATION
  • Embargoed: 23rd December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Gaza
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA5OC7WVOHC6NM5QKS2FK110LXB
  • Story Text: Hamas in Gaza received its political leader as a hero after decades in exile, as he attended a rally on Saturday (December 08) to mark the 25th anniversary of his Islamist group and celebrate "victory" over Israel.
    Khaled Meshaal walked on to the podium, in Gaza City in the Hamas-ruled territory, waving to thousands of supporters who waved back with Hamas and Palestinian flags.
    At least 200,000 Palestinians attend the outdoor event, which is likely to be used by Meshaal to promote Hamas' growing stature in the Arab world and push the case for reconciliation with its secular political rival, Fatah, which governs the West Bank.
    Meshaal, 56, is on his first visit to the Gaza Strip and was moved to tears on Friday (December 7) by the ecstatic reception he received from flag-waving crowds as he toured the tiny territory, which is home to 1.7 million Palestinians.
    His trip comes just two weeks after Hamas fought an eight-day conflict with Israel that killed some 170 Palestinians and six Israelis and ended with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.
    Hamas claims it won the confrontation. Israel disputes this, saying it not only killed the Islamist group's military commander but also caused significant damage to its arsenal of rockets. The Israeli media largely ignored his visit to Gaza.
    There is no denying the fighting boosted Hamas's standing in the region, winning it the support of Arab neighbours, many of whom used to treat the group as a pariah before the Arab Spring uprisings ushered in several sympathetic Islamist governments.
    The rally commemorates the 25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas and the start of the first Palestinian uprising, or intifada, against Israel in December 1987.
    Local Fatah leaders attended - the first time Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's faction has taken part in such an event since at least 2007, when it fought a brief civil war with Hamas in Gaza that was won by the Islamist group.
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