00:00 September saw clashes between the Israeli military and protesters in the border region
00:04 of the Gaza Strip.
00:06 Protesting the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank, the demonstrators had the support
00:10 of Hamas.
00:11 But the main flashpoint in tensions this year did not involve ruling Hamas, but a rival
00:17 nationalist faction, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
00:21 The two sides exchanged fire for five days, a conflict that killed dozens of Palestinians
00:26 and one Israeli.
00:28 Last month in a show of unity, 12 militant nationalist factions held joint military drills
00:33 in Gaza, among them Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
00:38 In power since 2007, Hamas governs the Gaza Strip, while the Palestinian Islamic Jihad
00:43 does not seek political power but military confrontation with Israel.
00:47 Both are classed as terrorist organisations by the US and EU.
00:52 This at a time when Israel has been rocked by months of mass protests over a planned
00:56 judicial reform, which has sown division throughout the society and even threats of rebellion
01:01 within the ranks of the military.
01:04 Israel abandoned its settlements in the Gaza Strip in 2005 after a 38-year occupation,
01:10 and two years later imposed a blockade on the territory which has been in place ever
01:13 since.
01:15 Of the 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza, more than half live below the poverty
01:20 line.
01:20 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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