Protesters chase PA minister out of Gaza

Palestinian Authority health minister Jawad Awad cancels a trip to Gaza City’s Shifa hospital after being confronted by angry protesters as he arrived from Egypt, officials said.

Witnesses say protesters threw shoes and eggs at Awad’s car as he entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.

Officials said he left the Palestinian enclave shortly afterwards.

Protesters also gathered at Shifa hospital in Gaza City, carrying posters criticizing Awad and the recently formed government of technocrats to which he belongs.

The unity government was sworn in on June 2 following a deal between the Hamas and PA President Mahmoud Abbas which ended seven years of rival administrations in the West Bank and Gaza.

“Gaza has been bombed, and Gaza has been destroyed, and now he comes to visit?” protester Ahmed Murtaja said incredulously.

“We don’t want this visit and all the Palestinian people are opposed to it and reject it,” he told AFP.

Protesters said they were angry that it had taken Awad eight days to visit Gaza, where 193 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.

They also condemned the Palestinian Authority president for failing to do more to halt the Israeli campaign, with some chanting: “Abu Mazen (Abbas) is a collaborator.”

In a statement, the health ministry condemned the “flagrant and brutal assault” on the minister and his delegation in Rafah, blaming the incident on “media affiliated with Hamas.”

“The ministry of health will continue to stand by our people in Gaza,” the statement said, pledging to secure medical supplies for the wounded.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas, but a top member of its exiled politburo, Mussa Abu Marzuq, condemned the incident as “irresponsible and improper” on his Facebook page.

He called for an investigation and prosecution of those responsible.

– AFP, Times of Israel staff