Gaza hit by protests as rockets fired at Israel

A wave of protests has rocked the Gaza Strip in recent days as hundreds of Palestinians have taken to the streets to demonstrate against the power cuts that have left most homes in the Strip with only a few hours of electricity a day.

The protests, which were blocked by Hamas riot police, were not directed at a particular government or regime but were mainly a display of frustration at the paralysis that has gripped the rebuilding efforts.

Meanwhile, last Friday evening, two rockets were launched from Gaza towards Israel. One hit the town of Sderot but did not cause any casualties. The second, which was aimed at Ashkelon, was intercepted by an Iron Dome missile defence battery.

The Israeli air force responded with strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. In the early hours of Monday, another rocket was fired towards Kibbutz Netiv Ha-asara, but caused no damage or casualties. The rockets were launched by a Salafist group with ties to Daesh, and Israeli officials said they believe Hamas was not involved, though they hold the movement responsible for any hostile act coming from Gaza.

Also last Friday, Egypt upped the pressure on Gaza when it began pumping sea water into the smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Egypt.

Over the past year, Egypt has destroyed many of the tunnels under the Rafah corridor, all but ending the trade that went on underground for years.

Israeli intelligence believes that the few tunnels that remained intact have been taken over by Hamas, which uses them mainly for arms smuggling and to move their operatives in and out of Gaza. The commercial use of the tunnels, however, has come to an end.

The prolonged isolation of Gaza, by both Egypt and Israel, is the result of the difficulties in reaching a long-term agreement on the Strip's future.

The back-channel talks ongoing through Egypt and Qatar, in which former prime minister Tony Blair is also involved, have come up against a split Palestinian position, with Hamas's political wing relatively open to a long-term ceasefire in return for an opening of the crossings, and the military wing insisting it be allowed to continue to prepare for an attack on Israel.