Hamas marks 30th anniversary at low point of Gaza rule

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Many thousands of Palestinians gather in Gaza City to mark the 30th anniversary of the founding of Hamas, the terror group that dominates the territory.

Buses bring in men, women and children brandishing Hamas’s green flags or sporting green scarves to the al-Katiba Square for the rally.

The anniversary comes at a low point for Hamas. A decade after seizing Gaza by force, it has been compelled to seek reconciliation with its Fatah rival, led by PA President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.

Hamas blames an Israeli-Egyptian border blockade — imposed to prevent the import of weapons — as well as lack of support from Arab and Islamic nations and Abbas’s alleged attempts to undermine the group for the hardships in Gaza. This includes 43 percent unemployment and crippling blackouts.

Implementation of an Egyptian-brokered Hamas-Fatah reconciliation deal has been slow.

— Agencies