Hamas: 'Third Intifada' brewing in Gaza

Ahmad Yousef, the political advisor to Palestinian Prime Minister Isma'il Haniyeh on Sunday said the flood of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip into Egypt marked the beginning of a possible third Palestinian uprising, and a sign that the Israeli siege cannot be imposed on the people of Gaza without a popular revolt.

Palestinians broke through the border wall on Wednesday, ending months of closure and five days of total blockade.

Yousef told Ma'an that this movement could become a full-fledged "uprising for dignity and breaking siege." The next stage, according to Yousef could involve thousands of Palestinians heading to the Israel-controlled Erez crossing in order to force the international community to fulfill their obligations and end the embargo on the Gaza Strip.

"Everything is possible, and we do not know what will happen tomorrow. We intend to head to the Erez crossing and to the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948 in a stride to be considered preparation to the restoration of the right of repatriation. We expect the people of the West Bank to take the initiative and head to the crossings and attempt to open them. These steps will be taken in case the siege on the Gaza Strip continues," Yousef explained.

Yousif also revealed that Hamas movement has received congratulations from European officials over the toppling of the Rafah border wall, calling the move a victory for Hamas and an act that their countries failed to do in order to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people.

A delegation representing the Gaza-based government is scheduled to travel to Cairo this week, and will be joined by exiled Hamas officials, Yousif added. Egyptian and Gazan officials are to discuss a plan to place the Rafah crossing under Palestinian-Egyptian control, ending European supervision there, Yousef said.

The First Palestinian Intifada (literally "shaking off") began in 1987 in the refugee camps of the Gaza Strip, and quickly spread to the West Bank. The Second Intifada, also called the Al-Aqsa Intifada, began in 2000, and has not yet been declared finished.