Gaza Strip: agreement between Hamas and Israel to reduce tension

Israeli soldiers arrive to put out a fire near the border with the Gaza Strip on August 25, 2020, triggered by incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave.

Menahem KAHANA / AFP

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2 min

It had been nearly a month since tensions had again emerged between the ruling Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Israel.

The shipments of incendiary balloons from Palestinian territory to Israeli territory preceded the Israeli bombardments inside the coastal enclave.

The UN representative there said he feared an escalation.

But after Qatari mediation, the two parties announced that they had reached an agreement on Monday evening.

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With our correspondent in Jerusalem,

After a first

, it was Qatar which tried to act as intermediaries between Hamas and Israel.

And in recent days,

, the Qatari diplomat in charge of these negotiations, has been back and forth between the two parties, leading to the conclusion of an agreement on Monday evening.

In a statement, the Israeli army said that imports to the Gaza Strip, interrupted because of this renewed tension, will resume normally as of Tuesday.

This includes deliveries of gasoline that will restart the territory's only power station.

Fishing will also be authorized again within a limit of 15 nautical miles.

A return to the situation that prevailed until the beginning of the month on condition, specifies the Israeli army, that the shipments of incendiary balloons and explosives cease.

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But for Hamas, which demanded the lifting of the blockade imposed on the territory, the agreement also contains other measures.

" 

," the movement said in a statement.

Without detailing these measures, Hamas mentions support for economic activity and help in the fight against the coronavirus.

He thus claims to have obtained new concessions from Israel.

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• Israel

• Palestinian territories

• Qatar

• Gaza

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