This morning a bomb exploded outside the Moon Face hairdressers in Rafah. No one was injured, though the shop was badly damaged. As yet, no one has claimed responsibility for the blast, but it comes at a time when the Hamas authorities have been increasing the pressure on salon owners to obey the 2009 law that forbids men from cutting women’s hair.
Also this morning the Kerem Shalom border crossing was partially reopened. The crossings have been closed since Thursday amid increasing tensions. Among the 250 lorries allowed to cross, were two truckloads of flowers.
The bodies of two 17 year olds, Kerem Shalom and Qasim Salah Iteiwa, were recovered from no man’s land at the border with Israel some 12 hours after they were reported shot. An Israel army spokeswoman confirmed earlier that they had been shot, but could not say if they had been killed.
Elsewhere the Israeli’s and Palestinians exchanged fire across the border. Israeli tanks firing in response to missile and mortar attacks reportedly organised by the An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades from within Gaza. Reports put the casualties at 2 Israeli’s and 5 Palestinians wounded.
And in the aftermath of the attacks on press offices and against citizen journalists on Saturday by Hamas police. In an effort to diffuse the situation, Interior minister Fathi Hammad, stated that his government was committed to press freedom. He stated that he was ordering his police to stop raiding media offices except "under implemented laws," and promised that all seized equipment would be returned.
The attacks on the media were allegedly spurred by efforts to prevent the Palestinian Unity protests.
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