RAMALLAH, 29 Oct (JMCC) - Tens of thousands gathered in Gaza City today to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The supporters also praised the legacy of founder Fathi al-Shqaqi assassinated 15 years ago by Israel in Malta. Opponents of the peace talks and the Oslo accords, PIJ has criticized Hamas for stopping of rocket launching and Fatah for giving up armed struggle in the 1980s.
Crowds waving [Islamic Jihad]'s black banners filled Kuteiba Square in Gaza City, where senior officials were expected to speak beneath massive portraits of assassinated commanders, an AFP correspondent reported.
The armed group, which is smaller and more radical than the Islamist Hamas movement ruling the territory, carried out several suicide bombings inside Israel during the 2000-2005 Palestinian uprising.
In more recent years it was behind many of the near-daily rocket attacks fired from Gaza that prompted Israel to launch a devastating offensive against the territory in December 2008.
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