1/28/2005: Hamas has won an overwhelming victory in Gaza Strip local elections, the final results showed Friday. Hamas won control of seven of the ten municipal councils that held elections, including the three largest ones: Dir al-Balah, Bnei Siheileh, and Beit Hanun.
Read More | Hamas Victory Rally Erupts Into Shootout | Hamas: Into the mainstream

1/16/2005 Mahmoud Abbas, was sworn in on Saturday January 15th as President of the Palestinian National Authority. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had phoned Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday the 11th "to congratulate him on his election as Palestinian president and offer cooperation, the highest-level contact between the sides in nearly four years". Just two days later there was a small attack by a handful of militants on a crossing between Gaza and Israel. Despites Abbas' calls for a halt to attacks on Israel and the limited time he had between the election and the attack, Sharon's response was to once again cut all ties with the Palestinian leadership and give orders "for troops to carry out unlimited operations against Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip".
Since Saturday morning, 15 January 2005, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have launched a wide scale offensive on al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City. They have killed 5 Palestinians and injured 5 others. This latest attack has come following a decision by IOF to close all border crossings of the Gaza Strip and decrease the time of opening al-Matahen and Abu Houli checkpoints on Salah al-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), as an indicator of escalation by IOF in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). PCHR warns that the presence of IOF in al-Zaytoun neighborhood may cause more casualties among Palestinian civilians and more damage to civilian property. Read More...
A cynical exploitation of the transition | Electronic Intifada