- 16 juli 2011
Militant groups claim responsibility for firing missiles at Israel
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Two militant groups in Gaza, Al-Tawid (Unity) and Al-Jihad, claimed responsibility Friday for firing three missiles at the city of Sderot and the area of Shaar Hanegev, both in southern Israel.
"At 09:00 O’clock on Friday morning, our fighters fired a missile towards the west of the Negev. Despite the heavy presence of the Gaza police in the region which tried to prevent firing the missiles, fighters were successful again in shooting another missile at the same region.
"At 3:30 p.m, our heroes were able to launch another missile towards the town of Sderot and then returned to their home safely,” the Al-Tawid group told Ma'an.
The group said that the projectiles were in response to Israeli crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and stated its willingness to continue firing missiles as a way to resist the Israeli occupation.
Two missiles fell in the western Negev region of Eshkol without causing any causalities or damage, Israeli sources said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=405489 20 jan 2012, 05:32 , Respect -
Maria 17 juli 2011
Reports: 3 projectiles hit western Negev
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Three so-called Qassam rockets fired from the Gaza Strip on Saturday night hit open areas in the western Negev, Israeli media reported Sunday morning.
There were no reports of injuries or damage.
The first projectile exploded at around 1 a.m. within the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council, the Israeli news site Ynet reported. Two additional projectiles landed in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=405864
Report: Army studies Gaza border violence
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- The commander of Israel's army Benny Gantz held an urgent meeting Friday to discuss the situation along the border with Gaza and "practical steps" to end projectile fire, news reports said.
Israel's Hebrew-language daily Maariv said the meeting was attended by senior commanders of the Israeli army in various wings including the commander of the southern region.
The army officials said they held Hamas "fully responsible for this situation," allegedly for deliberately failing to stop the firing of projectiles into southern Israel after a sharp decrease of several months.
On Saturday, a Palestinian man was injured by an Israeli airstrike on northern Gaza. Two days earlier, an airstrike killed one man and injured five others in the tunnel area near Egypt.
Israeli army officials and Palestinian security sources said the most recent raid targeted a group of militants as they prepared to launch a homemade projectile toward Israel from the east of Gaza City.
The past few days of rocket fire and airstrikes represent the first significant recurrence of violence in the area since April, when airstrikes killed 19 Palestinians after a missile fired from Gaza killed a teenager.
Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control in 2007.
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Maria 19 juli 2011
Qassam rocket hits Sdot Negev Regional Council; no injuries
A Qassam rocket landed in an open area in the Sdot Negev Regional Council on Tuesday evening. No injuries or damage were reported.
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24 juli 2011
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Army: Projectile lands in Negev
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A rocket fired from Gaza landed in the Negev desert Sunday afternoon, Israel's army said after a militant group reportedly claimed responsibility for launching five projectiles.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=408097 20 jan 2012, 05:33 , Respect
Army: Israel nabs boat smuggling arms on Dead Sea
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- The Israeli military and police on Monday captured a boat on the Dead Sea which was trying to smuggle weapons from Jordan, and detained two Palestinians on board, officials said.
The boat was carrying a number of Kalashnikov assault rifles, magazines and other weapons, a statement from the army said, adding that two men, both Palestinians, were being questioned by Israeli police.
"A boat carrying a number of AK-47 assault rifles, magazines and additional weaponry was apprehended earlier today by the IDF and the Israel police," the statement said, describing it as an attempt to smuggle weapons into the Palestinian territories.
The Dead Sea is the lowest place in the world, with its eastern shores bordering Jordan, while its western shores border Israel and the West Bank.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP the boat had come from Jordan and said the two men on board were Bedouin, although he did not say whether they were of Jordanian or Palestinian origin.
"There is an ongoing police investigation involving a number of arms that were attempted to be smuggled from Jordan," he told AFP. "Two suspects have been arrested and are being questioned. The arrests were made this morning and a number of weapons were confiscated."
Israel's army radio said the vessel was a dinghy that had come from Jordan and was trying to traffic arms into the West Bank.
It was not the first time the army has stopped a boat containing weapons on the Dead Sea, although such attempts are very rare.
In December 2006, Israeli security forces arrested a Jordanian and an Israeli who used an inflatable boat to smuggle guns and drugs into Israel from Jordan.
Several months later, the Israeli press reported that the navy had started looking into the possibility of organizing regular patrols on the Dead Sea in an attempt to prevent the infiltration of people and weapons from Jordan into the Palestinian territories.
The Dead Sea stretches along a 70-kilometer stretch of the border and because of its high salinity, tests were being conducted to examine what kind of patrol vessel could withstand erosion from the salt, the reports said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=408194
- 28 juli 2011
PFLP armed wing claims responsibility for firing at soldiers
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, have claimed responsibility for firing at Israeli soldiers on Thursday in the Ash Shujaiyeh neighborhood near Gaza City.
The group targeted an engineering unit of Israeli soldiers with sniper fire.
A statement by the group said they would "continue with resistance and respond to the Israeli [occupation] crimes."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=409267
Rocket lands in Ashkelon
TEL AVIV (Ma'an) -- A Qassam rocket landed in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon Thursday morning, Israel's Channel 10 TV reported.
Israeli news site Ynet said the rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip. No injuries or damage were reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=409046 - 31 juli 2011
Army: 2 rockets fired from Gaza hit Israel
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel on Sunday, without causing any damage or injuries, the Israeli military said.
The rockets fell in the southern regional councils of Pitchat Shalom and Shaar HaNegev, areas both bordering the Palestinian territory.
The attack brought to 26 the number of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel since July 1, the military said.
July has seen an uptick in the number of rockets and other projectiles fired at Israel from Gaza after several months of calm following a deadly flare-up of violence in April.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=409936 20 jan 2012, 05:34 , Respect -
Maria 1 aug 2011
Army: Israeli woman injured by Gaza projectile
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- An Israeli woman was moderately injured by a projectile fired from Gaza into southern Israel, the army said.
The projectile landed in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that a 50-year-old woman sustained shrapnel wounds to her legs.
No Palestinian faction has claimed responsibility for the launch.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=410238 -
Maria 3 aug 2011
Rocket fired at Lakhish Region; siren in Kiryat Gat
Police stated Wednesday that at least one rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at the Lakhish Region. No injuries or damage were reported.
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Qassam explodes in Ashkelon Coast Regional Council; no injuries
The Color Red rocket alert system was activated Wednesday, after a Qassam rocket was fired at Israel from the Gaza.
Shortly after, a rocket landed in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council. No injuries or damage was reported.
http://fwd4.me/088k 20 jan 2012, 13:28 , Respect -
Maria 4 aug 2011
Rocket hits south; 5 lightly wounded
Five people were lightly injured while seeking shelter after a Color Red alarm sounded in the Ashkelon region overnight. The five were taken to the Barzilai Medical Center and four were released home. One woman was was admitted for the night.
A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at Ashkelon at midnight. Several hours earlier a Grad rocket exploded in an open area between kiryat Gat and Sderot.
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2 rockets fired from Gaza
One rocket explodes near town in Lakhish region, another at entrance to Ashkelon. Palestinian sources report of subsequent IDF strike in Gaza.
Palestinian sources reported that IDF aircrafts struck Gaza targets overnight, in an apparent response to Wednesday's rocket fire on southern Israel.
According to the Gaza sources, the strike targeted a Hamas' Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades' hub in the Strip.
Two Grad rockets were fired from Gaza late Wednesday evening after a period of relative calm in the south.
The first rocket exploded at around 10:30 pm in an open area between Sderot and Kiryat Gat, near a town in the Lakhish Region. The second exploded some two hours later at the entrance to the southern city of Ashkelon. No injuries or damage were reported in either case.
Security forces were able to recover remnants of the first rocket, saying search for those of the second, which apparently fell in agricultural fields near the town, will resume at first light.
The areas in which the rockets fell currently lack the protection of Iron Dome, due to testing being done on the systems. Defense officials said that they will only be redeployed if violence escalates significantly.
Ynet received dozens of emails reporting a rocket alert that sounded in the southern city of Kiryat Gat. Residents of the area also reported hearing loud blasts.
A resident of one of the towns in the Lakhish region told Ynet of the terror. "We heard a very loud blast and hoped that it didn't explode in a house. We were frightened, but we have nowhere to go because many of the residents here don't have bomb shelters," she said.
Ynet heard similar reports from a resident of another town as well. "We don’t have fortified buildings here, either. After the explosion many people came out to the main street to check that it didn’t happen in our town," she said.
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Grad explodes near Ashkelon, no injuries reported
A Grad rocket exploded near Ashkelon. The rocket alert was sounded. No injuries or damage were reported
Earlier a Grad rocket exploded near a town in the Lakhish region.
http://fwd4.me/08Dg 20 jan 2012, 13:28 , Respect -
Maria 5 aug 2011
'Armed group' claims Gaza rocket attacks
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- A claim of responsibility has been issued for an attack Wednesday in which two rockets struck Israeli territory and prompted air raids early the next day.
The "Abdulla Azzam Brigades" said it fired Grad rockets toward Asheklon and Kiryat Gat.
In a statement, a spokesman explained that the attack was "a normal reaction to the occupation's crimes. Firing rockets will end when the occupation ends its attacks against the Gaza Strip."
Ma'an could not independently verify the group's claims.
Israeli aircraft fired on Gaza City early Thursday "in response to the rockets fired from Gaza at Israel's southern communities over the past few days," an army statement said.
Two air raids targeted military sites including one belonging to Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades, a Ma'an correspondent said. There were no reports of injury or damage following the attacks.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=410806 20 jan 2012, 13:28 , Respect -
Maria 6 aug 2011
Report: Hamas detained rocket cell
Radical Gaza organization says Hamas security officers arrested two group members.
Hamas security forces detained Saturday morning two members of the al-Tawhid wal-Jihad group in Gaza as they were about to fire rockets at Israel, members of the radical organization charged in a leaflet.
"Forces belonging to Ismail Haniyeh's government in the northern Gaza Strip detained this morning, at 8:23, two fighters from a cell loading missiles against the enemy," the announcement said.
According to al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, Israel Air Force drones were hovering above the area at the time of the arrest. Other cell members managed to flee the scene, the group said.
Following the arrest, the Jihadist group slammed Hamas' security forces, stressing that the "grave" arrest caused unprecedented harm while the terrorists were working "in the service of the homeland against Israel's tyranny."
"Our arms are only directed at the Zionists and atno one else," the group said. "We urge police officers to disregard government decisions and refrain from arresting fighters."
Palestinian sources say that recent rocket attacks on Israel were the work of Salafi groups in the Strip such as al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, which reject Hamas' authority in Gaza. However, Israel struck training camps belonging to Hamas' military wing this week in order to signal to the group that it's responsible for any attack on Israel, even if Hamas is not directly behind it.
http://fwd4.me/08Q8
Security forces seize suspected rocket firers
GAZA CITY (AFP) -- Security forces in the Gaza Strip on Saturday detained two members of an Islamist group suspected of firing rockets at Israel, a source close to the group said.
The source said the militants, who belonged to Salafist organization Al-Tawfid wa Al-Jihad, were detained in Gaza City by security forces who suspected them of being behind rocket attacks on Israel.
On Thursday night, a rocket was fired at the southern town of Kiryat Gat without causing any harm, the Israeli army said.
In response, an Israeli warplane attacked a group suspected of firing the rocket, a military spokeswoman said.
Israeli retaliation for attacks from Gaza has focused on targeting bases of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military branch of Hamas.
The past month has seen an increase in rockets and other projectiles fired at Israel from Gaza after several months of calm following a flare-up in April when an anti-tank missile hit an Israeli school bus, killing a teenager.
Israel launched a series of air strikes that killed at least 19 Palestinians in the deadliest violence since Israel's devastating 22-day assault on Gaza in December 2008-January 2009.
The violence raised fears of another offensive, but Hamas, which rules the Palestinian territory, announced on April 10 a return to the truce that ended Israel's "Operation Cast Lead."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=411229 20 jan 2012, 13:28 , Respect -
Maria 7 aug 2011
Projectile fired from Gaza lands in southern Israel
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- A projectile fired from the northern Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel on Sunday with no injuries reported, Israeli news site Ynet reported.
An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed that a projectile had landed in the Shaar Hanegev regional council.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=411468 20 jan 2012, 13:28 , Respect -
Maria 8 aug 2011
Islamic Jihad brigades claim fire on Israeli forces
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Islamic Jihad's military wing said Monday it had fired on Israeli military vehicles near the eastern Gaza City neighborhood Ash-Shuja'iyeh overnight, whom it said were bulldozing Palestinian farm land.
The Al-Quds brigades said in a statement that they launched three mortar shells at vehicles in the east of the district which abuts Israel's border fence, adding that it was in "response to the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people in Gaza."
An Israeli military spokeswoman said "this is just rumors ... its not true."
A mortar shell was fired overnight from Gaza into Israel, with no casualties, she said.
On Saturday, Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip detained two members of another Islamist group, Tawhid wal Jihad, who are suspected of firing rockets at Israel.
The past month has seen an increase in rocket fire into Israel from Gaza, with the Israeli military saying at least 23 projectiles have been fired into Israel from the territory since July 1.
Israel has responded to the rockets by launching air raids targeting smuggling tunnels and what it says are militant training camps, while warning Hamas it holds the group responsible for any rocket fire from Gaza.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=411523
3 mortar shells hit western Negev; no injuries
Three mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel overnight and exploded near a kibbutz at the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council. One shell caused damage to a fence. No injuries were reported. A Color Red alarm was sounded prior to the hit.
http://fwd4.me/08To
Jihad fighters fire mortars at invading IOF soldiers
GAZA, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) advanced into eastern Gaza city at dawn Monday firing indiscriminately at Shujaia suburb, local sources told the PIC reporter.
They said that the soldiers mounting armored vehicles advanced from Nahal Oz military outpost into eastern Gaza and bulldozed land amidst random shooting.
The armed wing of Islamic Jihad movement, the Quds Brigades, said its fighters fired three mortar shells at the advancing unit.
http://fwd4.me/08VA 20 jan 2012, 13:28 , Respect -
Maria 9 aug 2011
Qassam fighters confront Israeli military infiltration
GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian resistance fighters of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, confronted a special Israeli force that was sneaking into Juhr Al-Deek, south east of Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that a group of the Qassam Brigades detected the infiltrating Israeli army unit near the garbage dump in Juhr Al-Deek.
The sources said that the Qassam fighters fired mortar shells and an RPG projectile that directly hit the unit, adding that the unit withdrew after probable casualties.
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Maria 11 aug 2011
Qassam rocket explodes near kibbutz
Sporadic attacks continue: Southern Israel residents rush to shelters as rocket alert activated
Rocket attacks continue: A Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip Thursday evening exploded near a kibbutz in the Shaar HaNegev regional council.
Local residents rushed to take shelter as the Color Red anti-rocket alert system was activated. No injuries or damages were reported in the latest attack.
Sunday night, three mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel. The shells exploded near a kibbutz as well, with one of them damaging the community's fence. Two other bombs exploded in an open area, causing no damage or injuries.
A few hours before that, a Qasam rocket fired from the northern Gaza Strip expoded in an open area.
Over the weekend, Hamas security forces detained two members of the al-Tawhid wal-Jihad group in Gaza as they were about to fire rockets at Israel, members of the radical organization charged in a leaflet Saturday.
Following the arrest, the Jihadist group slammed Hamas' security forces, stressing that the "grave" arrest caused unprecedented harm while the terrorists were working "in the service of the homeland against Israel's tyranny."
Palestinian sources have said that recent rocket attacks on Israel were the work of Salafi groups in the Strip such as al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, which reject Hamas' authority in Gaza. However, Israel recently struck training camps belonging to Hamas' military wing to signal to the group that it's responsible for any attack on Israel, even if Hamas is not directly behind it.
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