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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-israel-limits-civilian-traffic-fear-palestinian-reprisals">middleeasteye.net</a>
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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Israel limits civilian traffic around Gaza in fear of Palestinian reprisals</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">By MEE staff</div>
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<p>Israeli army says the risk of retaliatory attacks from besieged
enclave is still high after the arrest of senior Islamic Jihad figure in
the West Bank on Monday</p>
<p><img src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_page/public/images-story/israel-police-yad-mordechai-checkpoint-near-gaza-2aug2022-afp-edit.jpg?itok=2TJqsA29" alt="" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" style="margin-right: 0px;" width="392" height="221">
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<p><font size="1">An Israeli police checkpoint in the southern Kibbutz of Yad Mordechai
near the fence separating Gaza from Israel, on 2 August 2022 (AFP)</font></p>
<p><span>Published date:</span> 3 August 2022 <br></p>
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<div><p>The <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel" target="_blank">Israeli</a> army blocked roads and halted rail services near Gaza for a second consecutive day on Wednesday, citing a risk of reprisals <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-forces-arrest-senior-islamic-jihad-leader-raid-kills-palestinian-youth" target="_blank">following the arrest</a> of a senior Islamic Jihad member.</p>
<p>Bassam al-Saadi was detained on Monday during an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, during which 17-year-old <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine" target="_blank">Palestinian</a> Dirar al-Kafrayni was shot dead by Israeli forces.</p>
<p>Saadi's son-in-law, Ashraf al-Jada, was also arrested in the raid.
Saadi's wife sustained injuries during the arrest and was taken to
hospital for treatment.</p>
<p>Security camera footage of Saadi's arrest showed Israeli soldiers dragging the 62-year-old along the ground.</p>
<div><blockquote><p dir="rtl" lang="iw">תיעוד ממצלמות אבטחה של עסק
הממוקם קרוב לביתו של בכיר הג'יהאד האסלאמי בג'נין השיח בסאם אסעדי. התיעוד
מראה איך החיילים מושכים אותו ואף בשלב מסויים נשאו אותו ככל הנראה בשל
ירי שהיה בזירה. היו דיווחים פלסטינים שהוא נפצע קשה בעת המעצר אך נראה
שהיא יצא מהבית על הרגלים. <a href="https://t.co/0fWGakrlVp" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/0fWGakrlVp</a></p>— Jack khoury.جاك خوري (@KhJacki) <a href="https://twitter.com/KhJacki/status/1554263970218901504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 2, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>He was also reported to have been injured by an Israeli army dog.</p>
<p>As news of the fatal raid spread, crowds began to gather in Jenin
refugee camp and the nearby city of Nablus, as supporters voiced
solidarity with the highly respected figure. Islamic Jihad, seen as the
second most influential Palestinian armed resistance group behind Hamas,
said it has put its fighters everywhere on alert.</p>
<p>The Israeli army said on Tuesday it was preventing civilian access to areas near Gaza "due to a direct threat". </p>
<h3>Armed resistance</h3>
<p>Saadi is the most senior Islamic Jihad figure in the West Bank, where
the armed group has been the main force behind growing armed resistance
in Jenin and Nablus. </p>
<p>A former prisoner long wanted by Israel, Saadi and his family have
been a critical part of the Palestinian resistance movement in Jenin. </p>
<p>Saadi's great uncle, Farhan al-Saadi, led a rebellion against British authorities in 1936. </p>
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<p><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/west-bank-resistance-nablus-mourns-dead-fighters-wave-grows" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/2022-07-24T000000Z_2091231101_RC26IV9M7XAB_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-VIOLENCE.JPG?itok=A6QX6m4n" alt="" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" style="margin-right: 0px;" width="392" height="245"></a></p><p><font size="1">Nablus mourns dead fighters as West Bank resistance grows</font></p>
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<p>As part of its security measures, Israel also closed its only border
crossing for people entering or leaving Gaza on Tuesday, while the
government said Prime Minister Yair Lapid was reviewing security.</p>
<p>The Israeli army said it deployed reservist troops to assist in keeping civilians safe.</p>
<p>Israel has maintained a crippling blockade of the Gaza Strip since
2007, which critics say amounts to collective punishment of the
enclave's two million residents. </p>
<p>Israel prevents the importing of materials and equipment into Gaza
and has imposed strict restrictions on exports, leading to a state of
"paralysis" in several sectors of Gaza's economy.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/egypt" target="_blank">Egypt</a> also upholds the siege, controlling movement in and out of Gaza on its border.</p>
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