Five years on, Hamas aims to make Gaza settlements bloom

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Dozens of coffeeshops and tiny eateries have popped up along this stretch of Gaza's southern coastline which was once a popular swimming beach for the Jewish settlers of Gush Katif. Once upon a time, this beach and the surrounding area was totally off-limits to the 1.5 million Palestinians now living in Gaza -- and reserved exclusively for their Jewish neighbours.

Five years ago, all that changed when Israel completed its historic pullout of all 8,000 Jewish settlers who had been living in 21 settlements scattered across this tiny coastal enclave flanking the Mediterranean.

Now called Al-Muharara -- or "Liberation" -- this strip of beach used to be a popular haunt for swimmers from Neve Dekalim, the largest town in the Gush Katif settlement bloc which sprawled across much of southern Gaza.

When they left, most of them removed forcibly by the Israeli army, it opened up a vast area of territory to the Palestinians -- an area which is slowly being developed.

Much of the land on which the former settlement bloc stood is empty, an area where animals graze freely among newly-planted saplings; some is used for sewage, and other areas serve as a rubbish tip.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Five-years-on-Hamas-aims-to-make-Gaza-settlements-bloom/Article1-590151.aspx