GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Higher National Commission for the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege announced Dec. 26 the end of the weekly marches of return, saying they will now be held once a month or during national holidays. The commission added that the marches will be halted for a three-month period to prepare for the holding of the first march of the new year, to be held March 30, 2020, on the occasion of Palestinian Land Day.
The commission stated that the decision to make the marches into a monthly rather than weekly event came after weeks of discussion and analysis of how to best serve the interests of the people.
The news comes after Palestinians in the Gaza Strip resumed the weekly marches to return and break the siege Dec. 6, after having stopped for more than three weeks. The Higher National Commission for the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege claimed the marches were halted to prevent the Israeli army’s killing and wounding of protesters.
The weekly marches since the start of December put the cease-fire reached between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Nov. 14 to the test. The PIJ put three conditions on Israel to agree on the cease-fire, namely halting attacks on peaceful protesters in the weekly marches, stopping political assassinations and committing to the truce understandings reached in October 2018.
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