- 18 mrt 2011
10 mortars fired at Negev; no injuries
Palestinian terrorists in Gaza target Israeli territory in two separate salvos; some shells land in Strip.
Palestinian terrorists in north Gaza fired 10 mortars towards Israel's western Negev region on Friday. Four of the shells were fired before noon. Some of them landed in Palestinian territory.
At around 4 pm six additional mortars launched from the Hamas-ruled territory landed in an open area within the limits of the Eshkol Regional Council, near the security fence separating Israel and Gaza. There were no reports of injury or damage in either attack.
On Wednesday two gunmen belonging to Hamas' armed wing the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades were killed http://bit.ly/fqsFYA during an Israeli aerial strike in Gaza. The attack was launched in response to rocket fire from Gaza on Israeli territory earlier in the day.
On Tuesday Israeli commandoes seized http://bit.ly/gjlhEO a vessel carrying weapons that had originated in Iran. The weapons, including anti-ship missiles and thousands of mortars, were supposed to reach terror groups in Gaza.
A few hours later Egypt announced that it had succeeded in intercepting a Gaza-bound arms shipment from Sudan.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4044226,00.html
Army: Missile fired on tank in southern Gaza
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Gaza fighters on Friday launched anti-tank missile at Israeli forces operating in the southern Gaza Strip, a military statement said.
The army said its soldiers were "performing a routine activity" in the coastal enclave, and that it would "choose the method of response as per arising security assessments."
No injuries were reported.
On Thursday, Israel's air force dropped thousands of leaflets on northern Gaza, warning residents to stay away from the border area.
Israeli authorities have declared around 20 percent of Gaza's agricultural land off-limits to residents of the enclave due to its proximity to the border with Israel.
The army maintains that the area is used by militants to launch attacks on Israel.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=369945 19 jan 2012, 21:25 , Respect -
Maria 19 mrt 2011
Hamas claims mortar attack on Israel
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Hamas' military wing has claimed responsibility for firing a barrage of mortar shells at southern Israel Saturday that injured two people and caused damage to a building in the western Negev.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=370109
Dozens of mortar shells fired from Gaza
Police say at least 49 mortars exploded within Sdot Negev, Eshkol regional council. Two people lightly hurt by shrapnel; building sustains heavy damage. Western Negev residents ordered to enter shelters.
At least 49 mortar shells were fired at the western Negev from the Gaza Strip in several barrages Saturday morning. The mortars exploded in open areas within the Sdot Negev and Eshkol regional council.
Two people were lightly injured by shrapnel in one of the kibbutzim. A building sustained heavy damage.
Eshkol officials said dozens of mortar shells exploded within the regional councils. Local residents were ordered to enter shelters. Loud blasts were reported in the area.
Ariel, a resident of one of the kibbutzim in the Eshkol Regional Council, told Ynet: "We began hearing explosions at around 8:45 am. My daughter, who lives in a nearby community, called me crying and said she had heard strong blasts approaching her. We received text messages from the council to remain in a fortified area.
"After the series of explosions I didn't hear any additional barrages. These explosions are not normal. There has been a relative calm for quite a while now. We haven't experienced such a thing in these hours, on Saturday morning, for a long time."
Emergency routine
Eshkol Regional Council head Haim Yalin said the protected spaces proved themselves. "They really save lives. What happened here this morning is something which we unfortunately call an emergency routine. These are not Purim detonators, but mortar shells.
"So we've managed to seize a ship, but who knows how much they have already smuggled into the Strip. The communities' emergency squads did their job and the residents remained in protected spaces."
Almost one-quarter of all mortar shells fired from Gaza last year hit the western Negev on Saturday morning. According to the Shin Bet, 215 mortars were fired from the Strip in 2010, in addition to 150 Qassam rockets. In 2009, southern Israel was hit by 289 mortar shells (215 of them during Operation Cast Lead) and 569 rockets (407 during the Gaza war).
On Friday, Palestinian terrorists in north Gaza fired 10 mortars towards Israel's western Negev region. Four of the shells were fired before noon. Some of them landed in Palestinian territory.
At around 4 pm six additional mortars launched from the Hamas-ruled territory landed in an open area within the limits of the Eshkol Regional Council, near the security fence separating Israel and Gaza. There were no reports of injury or damage in either attack.
On Wednesday two gunmen belonging to Hamas' armed wing3 the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades were killed during an Israeli aerial strike in Gaza. The attack was launched in response to rocket fire from Gaza on Israeli territory earlier in the day.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4044337,00.html 19 jan 2012, 21:25 , Respect -
Maria 20 mrt 2011
PFLP group targets army post
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said Saturday that its fighters fired mortar shells toward Israel forces in eastern Gaza.
The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades said militants fired two shells toward Israel tanks near Kissufim military post.
In a statement, the group said it would continue to resist and confront the Israeli occupation.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=370285
Resistance labels onslaught 'winds of change'
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- In a Sunday statement announcing the latest projectile launch from the Gaza Strip, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees named the recent barrage of projectile fire operation "Winds of Change."
The group, known as the An-Nasser Brigades, said the campaign was "in response to the offensive on Gaza."
According to Israeli police, 49 projectiles were fired from Gaza on Saturday, while the military said another three were fired Sunday. No distinction in the count is made between projectiles fired toward Israeli military and civilian targets.
In its statement, the An-Naser Brigades said they fired a home-made projectile toward the Israeli military post at Kissufim, east of the Gaza Strip town of Dir Al-Balah.
Earlier on Sunday Israeli tanks launched fresh attacks against targets in the central Gaza Strip, according to medics, with one man injured by shrapnel and taken to hospital. Sunday morning medics were permitted to retrieve the bodies of two 17-year-olds killed by Israeli fire the night before.
According to the Israeli military, two rounds of fire were sent from Gaza, with the first at 1:30 p.m. consisting of two projectiles, which according to the daily news site Ynet landed inside the Strip, and the second just over the border area in the Sha'ar Henegev Regional Council.
The military also reported a second launch, this time two Grad-style projectiles, which according to Ynet landed outside of Ashkelon. The report said crews had not found the projectiles.
The back and forth fire comes amid a tense escalation in violence between Gaza resistance fighters and Israel's military.
Gaza militants have fired at Israeli forces operating in the coastal enclave, and launched dozens of mortars across the border.
During the day on Saturday, an Israeli air strike injured at least five Palestinians in Gaza City and damaged power lines, cutting electricity to neighborhoods in central and northern Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Saturday that Israel would use "all means necessary to protect its citizens."
The Israeli news site Ynet said opposition leader Tzipi Livni called for a repeat of Israel's devastating 2008 offensive on the Gaza Strip, Operation Cast Lead.
More than 1,400 Palestinians were killed during the 22-day attack.
In an 18 March statement following the reported launch of a projectile toward Israeli forces operating inside the Gaza Strip, the Israeli spokesperson's office said "Terror organizations constantly attempt to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for maintaining the calm in the Gaza Strip and for any terrorist activity emanating from it.
"The IDF will choose the method of response as per arising security assessments."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=370610
Gaza: IDF tank shield intercepts missile
'Windbreaker' defense system intercepts missile fire on Merkava 4 tank; IDF responds with artillery fire; Palestinian injured. Hamas: Reaction will be severe if attacks on Gaza continue.
Exchanges of fire between IDF soldiers and Palestinians were reported at around noon Sunday near the Al-Bureij refugee camp in Gaza.
During the fighting, Palestinians fired an anti-tank missile at a Merkava 4 tank, which is equipped with the "Windbreaker" defense system. The system intercepted the missile, and IDF forces responded with artillery fire.
The "Windbreaker" shield is marketed abroad under the name "Trophy".
According to the Palestinians, one person was injured from the artillery fire.
Earlier, Palestinian media outlets reported of "irregular" movement of IDF armored vehicles near the security fence in south Gaza. According to reports, the vehicles were accompanied by helicopters.
The current round of violence on Israel's southern front has escalated over the past few days. On Saturday night IDF forces patrolling the northern Gaza Strip fence spotted and killed two terrorists approaching the security barrier near an Israeli kibbutz.
Armored Corps soldiers opened fire and killed the two men. No injuries were reported among IDF troops. According to initial estimates, the two were planning to plant an explosive device near the fence.
Sources in Gaza also reported of Israeli tank fire in central Gaza. They said Israeli tanks also opened fire in the direction of agricultural fields located east of Gaza City, near the border with Israel.
Forty-nine mortar shells were fired into Israel from Gaza on Saturday, prompting the IDF to strike several targets across the Strip. Two Israelis sustained light injuries from the mortar fire.
A spokesman for Hamas' armed wing the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades - stated on Sunday that the numerous rockets fired towards Israel in recent days are a message to Israel to stop bombing the Gaza Strip. "The resistance will not sit idle and watch the crimes of the occupation, especially in light of the recent bombings," Abu Obeida said, and cautioned that if the IDF does not stop attacking the Strip, the reaction will be severe.
In an interview with the Al-Resalah website, which is associated with Hamas, Abu Obeida also addressed the IDF's recent interception of the "Victoria" arms ship. He claimed that Israel is taking advantage of the calm to incite against Hamas by accusing the organization of smuggling ammunition into the Gaza Strip using ships.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4044891,00.html
Gaza: Windbreaker shield thwarts missile fired at IDF tank
Palestinian forces launched an antitank missile towards an IDF Merkava Mark 4 tank east of Gaza city. The tank's Windbreaker defense system intercepted the missile before it hit the target. The IDF responded with artillery fire towards the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian News Agency reported that one man was injured from the IDF fire, but did not report how severely he was injured.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4044863,00.html
Al-Qassam warns Israel of escalating its military attacks against Gaza
GAZA, (PIC)-- Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, warned the Israeli occupation state of going too far in escalating its military attacks against the Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip, asserting that Saturday's mortar attack was a message for Israeli troops.
Spokesman for the Brigades Abu Obeida on Saturday evening stressed that the armed wing of Hamas would not hesitate to repel any Israeli aggressive acts against Gaza.
The spokesman affirmed that the firing of mortar shells on Israeli military posts in border areas east of Gaza was in retaliation to deadly attacks waged during the past days on Gaza.
Al-Qassam Brigades had fired 33 mortar shells on Israeli military posts on Saturday morning. Consequently, two Israeli soldiers were injured during the retaliatory attack, according to the Hebrew radio.
http://bit.ly/eTfYCj
Qassam rocket explodes in southern Israel
A Qassam rocket fired from the northern Gaza Strip exploded in an open area in southern Israel.
No injuries or damages were reported in the attack.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4044656,00.html
Grad rocket hits Ashkelon
Rocket fired from Gaza explodes in southern city, causing a number of residents to suffer shock but no damage. Elderly woman also injured while taking cover. Residents tell Ynet blast was very loud. 'Even my table shook,' one says.
Rocket fired from Gaza explodes in southern city, causing a number of residents to suffer shock but no damage. Elderly woman also injured while taking cover. Residents tell Ynet blast was very loud. 'Even my table shook,' one says
A rocket thought to be of the Grad type exploded in southern Ashkelon Sunday, causing a number of bystanders to suffer shock. An elderly woman was also lightly injured while attempting to take cover. No damage was reported.
Security forces are searching for the rocket, which is believed to have exploded in the city's southern industrial zone.
Residents were startled late Sunday by the rocket alarm, immediately followed by a loud explosion. "Even my table shook," one resident told Ynet.
Another resident told Ynet, "We heard the alarm and went into the shelter, and just succeeded in closing the door when we heard a very loud blast. The whole building shook and I thought it must have fallen in our neighborhood."
David Mahlof, who also resides in Ashkelon, told Ynet he was in the car with his family when the rocket hit. "We have a baby and as we were taking him out of the car we heard the blast, before we could get to a shelter. It was a miracle nothing happened to us," he said.
Paramedics treated residents who suffered shock on the scene, and evacuated one woman to Barzilai Hospital.
Earlier in the day Ashkelon Municipality discussed whether or not to hold the traditional Purim parade celebrated throughout Israel, and decided to allow it. Residents were advised to keep alert, however.
Tensions have been rising on the Gaza border in recent days. Exchanges of fire between IDF soldiers and Palestinians were reported at around noon Sunday near the Al-Bureij refugee camp in Gaza.
During the fighting, Palestinians fired an anti-tank missile at a Merkava 4 tank, which is equipped with the "Windbreaker" defense system. The system intercepted the missile, and IDF forces responded with artillery fire.
On Saturday, 49 mortar shells were fired into Israel from Gaza, prompting the IDF to strike several targets across the Strip. Two Israelis sustained light injuries from the mortar fire.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4045126,00.html
Gaza: IDF tank-shield intercepts missile
'Windbreaker' defense system intercepts missile fire on Merkava 4 tank; IDF responds with artillery fire; Palestinian injured. Hamas: Reaction will be severe if attacks on Gaza continue.
Exchanges of fire between IDF soldiers and Palestinians were reported at around noon Sunday near the Al-Bureij refugee camp in Gaza.
During the fighting, Palestinians fired an anti-tank missile at a Merkava 4 tank, which is equipped with the "Windbreaker" defense system. The system intercepted the missile, and IDF forces responded with artillery fire.
The "Windbreaker" shield is marketed abroad under the name "Trophy".
According to the Palestinians, one person was injured from the artillery fire.
Earlier, Palestinian media outlets reported of "irregular" movement of IDF armored vehicles near the security fence in south Gaza. According to reports, the vehicles were accompanied by helicopters.
The current round of violence on Israel's southern front has escalated over the past few days. On Saturday night IDF forces patrolling the northern Gaza Strip fence spotted and killed two terrorists approaching the security barrier near an Israeli kibbutz.
Armored Corps soldiers opened fire and killed the two men. No injuries were reported among IDF troops. According to initial estimates, the two were planning to plant an explosive device near the fence.
Sources in Gaza also reported of Israeli tank fire in central Gaza. They said Israeli tanks also opened fire in the direction of agricultural fields located east of Gaza City, near the border with Israel.
Forty-nine mortar shells were fired into Israel from Gaza on Saturday, prompting the IDF to strike several targets across the Strip. Two Israelis sustained light injuries from the mortar fire.
A spokesman for Hamas' armed wing the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades - stated on Sunday that the numerous rockets fired towards Israel in recent days are a message to Israel to stop bombing the Gaza Strip. "The resistance will not sit idle and watch the crimes of the occupation, especially in light of the recent bombings," Abu Obeida said, and cautioned that if the IDF does not stop attacking the Strip, the reaction will be severe.
In an interview with the Al-Resalah website, which is associated with Hamas, Abu Obeida also addressed the IDF's recent interception of the "Victoria" arms ship. He claimed that Israel is taking advantage of the calm to incite against Hamas by accusing the organization of smuggling ammunition into the Gaza Strip using ships.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4044891,00.html 19 jan 2012, 21:25 , Respect -
Maria 21 mrt 2011
Gaza: Brigades claim latest projectile launch
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command said Monday that its fighters fired home-made projectile toward Israel early in the day.
The projectile, a statement from the Jihad Jibril Brigades said, headed toward an Israeli moshav near the Gaza border.
"Resistance will continue to confront the Israeli occupation," the statement said.
According to the Israeli military, three projectiles fired from Gaza landed on the Israeli side of the border, with two said to have been fired at military targets and claimed by the Popular Resistance Committees on Sunday afternoon. The second reported launch, which was said to have landed near Ashkelon though police were reportedly still looking for the projectiles, has not been claimed by resistance factions.
On Saturday, according to Israeli police, 49 projectiles were launched toward Israel.
In their Sunday statement, the Popular Resistance Committees said the recent barrage, which it called operation "winds of change," was in response to "the offensive on Gaza."
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli tanks launched fresh attacks against targets in the central Gaza Strip, injuring one man injured with shrapnel, who medics said was taken to hospital. Sunday morning medics were permitted to retrieve the bodies of two 17-year-olds killed by Israeli fire the night before.
During the day on Saturday, an Israeli air strike injured at least five Palestinians in Gaza City and damaged power lines, cutting electricity to neighborhoods in central and northern Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Saturday that Israel would use "all means necessary to protect its citizens.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=370659
Gaza: Hamas calls for truce
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Hamas' armed wing said Monday that it would commit to a truce if Israel stops bombarding the Gaza Strip.
However, the Al-Qassam Brigades vowed to resist if Israel continued to attack the coastal enclave.
Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida said the group had fired mortars into the Western Negev on Saturday in response to Israeli aggression. Three days earlier, two of its members were killed in an Israeli air strike.
The call for a ceasefire came as Israeli warplanes struck garages by a mosque east of Ash-Shuja'iyeh near Gaza City. No injuries were reported, but residents said Israeli fighter jets were hovering across the besieged enclave.
The Israeli military said its airforce targeted "a terror tunnel and several Hamas-affiliated militants in the northern Gaza Strip." In a statement, the army said a direct hit was confirmed.
The strike followed an intense escalation in attacks, as Gaza militants launched a barrage of projectiles toward Israeli forces and across the border in the biggest violation of an informal truce militants confirmed in January.
On Sunday, Israeli tanks shelled several targets in the central Gaza Strip, leaving one man injured by shrapnel. Meanwhile, medics were permitted to retrieve the bodies of two 17-year-old Palestinians killed by Israeli fire the night before.
During the day on Saturday, an Israeli air strike injured at least five Palestinians in Gaza City and damaged power lines, cutting electricity to neighborhoods in central and northern Gaza.
The armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Nasser Brigades, issued a statement Sunday declaring its launches of projectile fire into Israel operation "Winds of Change." The group said the campaign was "in response to the offensive on Gaza."
Israel has also stepped up its rhetoric. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the state would use "all means necessary to protect its citizens."
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni called for a repeat of Israel's devastating 2008 offensive on Gaza, Israeli news site Ynet reported. Israeli forces killed over 1,400 Palestinians in the 22-day onslaught.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=370970 19 jan 2012, 21:25 , Respect -
Maria 22 mrt 2011
Resistance factions claim projectile launches
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Two resistance groups in Gaza claimed that their fighters carried out separate attacks on Israeli targets Tuesday.
The National Resistance Brigades, the military wing if the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said in a statement that two homemade projectiles were fired "toward Israeli settlements north of Gaza."
According to the group, the attack was in "response to the Israeli air raids on Gaza." The brigades added that "there will be more bombings against Israel, as resistance is the only way to achieve Palestinian national rights."
Earlier, the An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades said its fighters launched a home-made projectile at the Sufa military post shortly after midnight.
The brigades, part of the militant wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said a single projectile was fired at 12:30 a.m. toward the Israeli army post.
In a statement, the group said the launch was in response to "Israeli aggression in Gaza."
An Israeli army statement said that a "military-use projectile fired from Gaza landed in Eshkol Regional Council" on Tuesday morning, the region to the south of the Gaza Strip.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=371240
Palestinian resistance retaliates, fires homemade rockets at Israeli targets
GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian resistance forces fired rockets Monday at Israeli targets along the northern border with Gaza in response to aggression against populated areas that injured many civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Several homemade rockets were fired at Ashkelon and Siderot prompting Israelis to take shelter as panic prevailed.
The move came in the wake of a series of Israeli air raids that swept the Gaza Strip injuring 18, including seven children and six women. The attacks also incurred damages on several homes and a medical clinic serving 10,000 Palestinians monthly.
A correspondent for the Palestinian information center (PIC) said that Israeli intelligence had warned Mahmoud Al-Najjar, the father of Al- Qassam Brigades resistance fighter, to evacuate his home in Khazaa'eh east of Khan Younis before bombing it.
Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, had warned Israel would pay a heavy price if aggression continued against the Gaza Strip.
According to its website, it fired more than 30 mortar shells at the enemy on Saturday as a natural response to the aggression.
Israeli has recently killed two Qassam Brigades fighters in attacks that also destroyed several structures.
The Brigades emphasized that it would be adherent to the national consensus on a cease-fire as long as Israel respects the calm as well.
http://bit.ly/eE47jp
Gaza: Militant group calls for coordinated response to strikes
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Spokesman for the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine's armed wing, Abu Khaled, condemned Tuesday the recent string of Israeli air strikes targeting the Gaza Strip.
The official, speaking on behalf of the National Resistance Brigades, accused Israel of using the strikes as an attempt to block the progress of Palestinian reconciliation.
"Military units should coordinate, and determine together how to respond to such attacks," Abu Khaled said in a statement.
On Monday evening Israeli airplanes struck five sites in Gaza, injuring at least 18 people including seven children, witnesses and medics said.
The strike followed a projectile launch carried out by resistance factions in Gaza targeting an Israeli military site, which was precipitated by Israeli artillery fire along the border.
Back and forth fire has been escalating over the past week. Israeli military officials say 56 projectiles have been launched at Israeli targets over the past five days.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=371014
Brigades claim attack on military post
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades said in a statement on Tuesday morning that their fighters launched an attack on the Sufa military post shortly after midnight, targeting the site with a homemade projectile.
The fighters, part of the militant wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said brigades launched a single projectile at 12:30 a.m. toward the Israeli military post.
In their statement, the group said the launch was in response to "Israeli aggression in Gaza."
An Israeli military statement said that a "military-use projectile fired from Gaza landed in Eshkol Regional Council" on Tuesday morning, the region to the south of the Gaza Strip.
The launch came a day after Hamas offered a ceasefire to Israel, and only hours after Israeli forces hit the coastal enclave with a series of air-strikes, injuring at least 18 people including seven children, witnesses and medics said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=371055 19 jan 2012, 21:25 , Respect -
Maria 23 mrt 2011
PRC wing claims Askhelon mortar attack
GAZA CITY (Ma%u2019an) -- The armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility Wednesday for firing six projectiles at a target in southern Israel.
The An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades said in a statement that it attacked the Zikim military zone "in response to Israeli crimes in Gaza."
The Israeli military confirmed that six mortar shells hit the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, where the Zikim kibbutz is located. Sixteen projectiles were fired at Israel on Wednesday, the army said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=371771
Phosphorous shells hit southern Israel
Gaza terrorists fire at least five mortar shells on south; Israel files UN complaint over terror surge.
South under fire: While Jerusalem residents are recovering from Wednesday's terror attack, at least five mortar shells were fired from the northern Gaza Strip at southern Israel.
Sappers who examined the shells said some of them contained phosphorus, which is banned for use by international law. Officials are also looking into the possibility that a Qassam rocket was fired as part of the barrage.
No injuries or damages were reported in the attack.
Meanwhile, Israel's delegation at the United Nations filed a letter of complaint with the UN secretary general and with the current president of the Security Council, following the Jerusalem bombing and the ongoing rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza.
"I write to express my grave concern in the face of a very serious escalation of Palestinian terrorist attacks targeting innocent Israeli civilians, which threatens to undermine stability in our region," Israel's UN Ambassador Meron Reuben wrote.
"In the past week, we have witnessed the launch of some 63 mortar shells and four rockets from the Gaza Strip into Southern Israel, which represents an unprecedented increase in the projectile fire emanating from the Gaza Strip since the end of Operation Cast Lead in 2009," he wrote. "As I write this letter, terrorists in the Gaza Strip continue to fire mortars and rockets at Israel."
Early Wednesday, terrorists fired two long-range Grad rockets at Beersheba. Late Tuesday, a similar rocket was fired at the southern town of Ashdod.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4046898,00.html
Israeli occupation says retaliatory rocket attacks from Gaza injured settlers
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israel occupation state admitted on Wednesday that 26 Israeli settlers were wounded when two grad rockets landed in the vicinity of Beersheba city in the early morning hours.
The Hebrew radio said the injured settlers were transferred to Soroka hospital for medical treatment.
It described the injuries of three of them as moderate and the others as slight, and noted that all of them are in a state of panic.
Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, declared its responsibility for firing two grad rockets at Beersheba in response to the assassination of four of its resistance fighters, and the massacre of children and civilians in Shuja'ia neighborhood.
http://bit.ly/htnC3j
Mortar shell barrage hits southern Israel
Five or six mortar shells and possibly a rocket Qassam as well were fired from the northern Gaza Strip to the Ashkelon Beach regional council.
All landed in open areas; no injuries or damages were reported.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4046814,00.html
Al-Quds Brigades vows to hit back strongly after killing of resistance fighters
GAZA, (PIC)-- Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, vowed to retaliate very strongly to Israel's assassination of four of its resistance fighters during an aerial attack yesterday on Azzeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza city.
"Our response to the assassination of our cadres and fighters will be as strong as the crime, and the enemy will see it before hearing it," Al-Quds Brigades stated in a communiqué.
Islamic Jihad Movement, for its part, stressed that it is committed to the protection and defense of the Palestinian people against any Israeli aggression.
The Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday afternoon committed a heinous massacre when they bombed a house east of Gaza city killing three children and an elderly man.
"Confronting the aggression with more calm does not serve the interests of our people, but this will make them prey to the occupation and its endless crimes," Islamic Jihad highlighted.
It emphasized that Israel receives support and encouragement from unjust powers conspiring to kill the Palestinian people; therefore, it very important to protect the resistance, support it and enhance its capacity to respond to the occupation's crimes and repel its aggression.
In a related incident, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said two grad rockets were fired yesterday from Gaza and landed south of the occupied city of Ashdod without any reported injuries.
It added that warning sirens echoed in the outposts of Gan Yavne and Kiryat Malachi.
Different resistance factions claimed responsibility for firing rockets and mortar shells at Israeli settlements near Gaza in retaliation to the massacre that claimed the lives of eight Palestinian civilians including children on Tuesday.
http://bit.ly/hf4NFV
Grad rocket injures man in Beersheba
Residents of Beersheba neighborhood hit by rocket fume after discovering public bomb shelters locked at 5:30 am. 'People waited outside with children, we have been abandoned to our fate,' says resident.
A 56-year old man was lightly injured early Wednesday morning when a Grad rocket fired from Gaza exploded in Beersheba.
Four hours later, another Grad rocket hit open spaces near the southern city. Security forces are still looking for the rocket. Several mortar shells also exploded in Eshkol Regional Council, but no injuries or damage were reported.
Meanwhile, Palestinian sources said military choppers fired missiles at a terror cell near Gaza City.
The Beersheba man was hit by glass shards from a pane that shattered from the explosion. Three people also sustained shock, and infrastructure was damaged.
The Islamic Jihad movement claimed responsibility for the Grad rocket that fell at 5:30 am. A statement issued by the organization said, "This is an initial reaction to the Zionist crimes against our people in Gaza."
The old buildings in the neighborhood in which the rocket fell are not equipped with bomb shelters. Residents had to leave their homes in order to seek shelter, and were infuriated to discover that many of the bomb shelters were locked.
"People waited outside with small children," Narkis Sasson, who resides in the neighborhood, told Ynet. "We have been abandoned to our fate."
"This time it hit a road but next time it will hit someone. There is no public security," added Barry Shalit. "An entire neighborhood has been abandoned."
Beersheba Mayor Rubik Danilovich was present at the municipality's operations room as police sappers removed the rocket from where it had hit.
"I told the prime minister three weeks ago that we cannot accept the trickle of fire, not only in Beersheba.
We do not want war but we believe the government should restore calm to the south, even at the expense of another operation. Roughly calculating, a rocket is fired every few weeks," he said.
The municipality also announced that school would be canceled in the city on Wednesday. However, Ben Gurion University has decided classes will go on according to schedule.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4046424,00.html
Brigades claim 4 projectile launches since midnight
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Since shortly before midnight on Tuesday, Palestinian resistance factions have claimed three rounds of projectile fire aimed at both Israeli military and civilian targets.
The Al-Quds Brigades released a statement shortly after midnight Wednesday morning, saying fighters had launched a Grad-style missile toward the Israeli town of Ashdod and three mortar shells at the Israeli military base Nahal Oz east of Gaza City.
A second statement released by the group after sunrise said a second Grad had been launched at Beersheba 5:30 a.m. "in retaliation for the ongoing Israeli aggression."
Israel's military confirmed the strikes, saying at 1:30 a.m. that a fighter jet "targeted a terrorist in the northern Gaza Strip, in the same location from which a Grad missile was fired towards the city of Ashdod a number of hours ago. A hit was confirmed."
One Israeli civilian was lightly injured by the first Grad, Israel's daily newspaper Haaretz reported.
After 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Popular Resistance Committees released a statement saying its fighters fired seven mortar shells toward the Israeli military posts at Sufa and Kerem Shalom, both in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israeli media reported that the seven projectiles "landed in an open field in Eshkol Regional Council," noting no injuries.
Shortly before 10 a.m. the Al-Quds Brigades released a third statement saying fighters fired a third Grad and second projectile at Beersheba.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=371497 19 jan 2012, 21:25 , Respect -
Maria 24 mrt 2011
PFLP, PRC claim joint launch toward Negev
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- In a joint statement, brigades affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Resistance Committees announced the firing of a projectile toward the Eshkol region in Israel, adjacent to the southern Gaza Strip.
The groups, respectively the Abu Ali Mustafa, and An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades, said the launch came as a response to "the crimes of Israel."
Earlier in the day the brigades announced in separate statements that they were committed to continued resistance activities, amid heavy strikes from Israeli forces.
Over the past three days, Israeli strikes have killed eight, including four civilians. Dozens of other civilians have been injured.
According to the Israeli military, over the past two days, four mortars, three Qassam rockets, and two Grad missiles have landed in the Eshkol, Ashkelon, Shar Hanegev, and Ashdod regions.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=372048
Iron Dome heads south
Following escalation on Gaza border, Israel will station portable air defense system in south on Sunday in order to intercept rockets, mortar shells.
Iron Dome put to work: Due to recent escalation on the Gaza Strip border the IDF plans to activate a portable air defense system on Sunday in order to intercept short-range rockets and mortar shells fired from Gaza.
The IDF will also check whether the system can work in accordance with the alarm systems. The system's installation may be postponed by a day or two.
The Iron Dome system can protect an area as big as 10X10 km from rockets and mortar shells threatening to explode in communities or on vital structures. The system can calculate the trajectory of the rockets and avoid intercepting rockets which are about to land in open areas. However, the Iron Dome cannot intercept objects fired from a distance shorter than 1.737 miles.
Last month, the members of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, headed by former Defense Minister Amir Peretz, decided the first Iron Dome batteries should immediately be positioned in the south.
The committee also ruled that in the next five years the IDF must equip itself with 13 batteries, costing about NIS 9 billion ($2.54 billion).
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4047555,00.html
Grad rockets strike deep inside Israel
Several Grad rockets reportedly fired by Palestinian resistance fighters have struck areas deep inside Israel.
One of the rockets hit Israel's southern port city of Ashdod Thursday afternoon and another struck Yavneh, located 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of Tel Aviv.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, Ha'aretz newspaper reported.
Earlier in the day, a Palestinian man was injured after Israeli tanks fired shots into Gaza.
A local commander of al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, was also injured on Thursday after Israeli fighter jets carried out a fresh airstrike on the Gaza Strip.
Israeli fighter jets had earlier struck targets in the Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported.
Two of the strikes hit the city of Gaza and a third targeted a tunnel near the Egyptian border at Rafah, witnesses said.
Israeli forces have carried out large numbers of ground and air attacks on Gaza since the end of Operation Cast Lead against the Gaza Strip.
More than 1,400 Palestinians were killed during the three-week Israeli land, sea and air offensive in the impoverished coastal sliver at the turn of 2009. The offensive also inflicted USD 1.6 billion damage to the Gazan economy.
In the latest deadly attack, at least 10 Palestinians, including four children, were killed and scores of others injured during an Israeli shelling of Gaza on Tuesday.
A United Nations inquiry led by the former South African judge, Richard Goldstone, detailed what investigators called Israeli actions "amounting to war crimes, possibly crimes against humanity," during Israel's offensive against the Gaza Strip.
Israel laid an economic siege on the Gaza Strip in June 2007, after Hamas took control of the enclave.
The blockade has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.
Some 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.
Poverty and unemployment rates stand at approximately 80 percent and 60 percent, respectively, in the Gaza Strip.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171497.html
Gaza: PRC, PFLP vow to continue attacks
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Two resistance groups in Gaza claimed fire toward Israeli military and civilian targets on Thursday morning, in statements which said fighters would continue projectile launches.
The armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees said fighters launched a projectile toward the Karmia kibuyz south of Ashkelon early in the day, and said fighters "survived an attack" from the northern Strip.
Israel's military said an air strike targeted "a group of terrorists preparing to launch rockets at Israeli territory, and thwarted the attempt by firing at them," with medics saying one was injured in the northern Strip near a Jabaliya gas station.
A separate statement from the Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said fighters launched two projectiles at an Israeli military target.
The statement said the projectiles aimed at the Sufa military base in the southern Gaza Strip, and added that the attack was an "assurance of our commitment to resistance."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=371893
2 Palestinian rockets 'hit Israeli city of Ashdod'
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- At least two Grad rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza on Thursday slammed into the port city of Ashdod and just north of it, police and the Israeli army said.
Medics said no one was injured in the strikes, which came a day after Gaza's Hamas rulers vowed to rein in recalcitrant militant groups who had vowed to hit ever-deeper into Israel.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld confirmed that two Grad rockets had landed in Israel, saying: "One landed in the city and the other landed north of the city."
An army spokeswoman confirmed two Grads had hit Ashdod.
Earlier, security sources had told AFP one of the rockets landed in an area "just south of Rishon-le-Tzion" -- which is significantly further north, in an area around nine miles from Tel Aviv.
Officials in the area had "heard a loud blast" but it later transpired the blast was not caused by the second rocket, which had landed just north of Ashdod.
The rocket fire came a day after Islamic Jihad's military wing, the Al Quds Brigades, fired three Grads at Beersheva and Ashdod and vowed to fire more at cities deep inside the Jewish state as it entered "a new phase" of resistance.
"The Al Quds Brigade has entered a new phase of bombing targets which are further away, where thousands of Israelis live," group spokesman Abu Ahmad told AFP.
Ashdod lies about 18 miles up the coast from Gaza, while Rishon-Le-Tzion is located another 15 miles further north.
Grad rockets are understood to have a range of up to 30 miles.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=372130 19 jan 2012, 21:25 , Respect -
Maria 25 mrt 2011
Joint claim of responsibility for Ashkelon attack
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The armed wings of two Palestinian factions claimed joint responsibility Thursday for firing Grad rockets at Ashkelon.
"The shelling was in response to Israel's escalations against our unarmed people," a joint statement from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine's National Resistance Brigades and Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades said. Islamic Jihad later denied that its armed wing took part in the attack.
The statement said that "we in the National Resistance Brigades and Al-Quds Brigades affirm that resistance is out path to gaining national rights."
At least two Grad rockets slammed into the port city of Ashdod and just north of it, police and the Israeli army said.
Medics said no one was injured in the strikes, which came a day after Gaza's Hamas rulers vowed to rein in recalcitrant militant groups who had vowed to hit ever-deeper into Israel.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld confirmed that two Grad rockets had landed in Israel, saying: "One landed in the city and the other landed north of the city."
An army spokeswoman confirmed two Grads had hit Ashdod.
Earlier, security sources had told AFP one of the rockets landed in an area "just south of Rishon-le-Tzion" -- which is significantly further north, in an area around nine miles from Tel Aviv.
Officials in the area had "heard a loud blast" but it later transpired the blast was not caused by the second rocket, which had landed just north of Ashdod.
The rocket fire came a day after Islamic Jihad's military wing, the Al Quds Brigades, fired three Grads at Beersheva and Ashdod and vowed to fire more at cities deep inside Israel as it entered "a new phase" of resistance.
"The Al Quds Brigade has entered a new phase of bombing targets which are further away, where thousands of Israelis live," group spokesman Abu Ahmad told AFP.
Ashdod lies about 18 miles up the coast from Gaza, while Rishon-Le-Tzion is located another 15 miles further north.
Grad rockets are understood to have a range of up to 30 miles.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=372180 19 jan 2012, 21:27 , Respect -
Maria 26 mrt 2011
Israel: Rocket from Gaza strikes Eshkol area
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- A rocket landed early Saturday morning in the Eshkol Regional Council and damaged a house, Israeli media said.
No injuries were reported in the attack and another rocket landed in an open field nearby, the Israeli news site Ynet reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US Defense Secretary Robert Gates Friday that Israel is ready to act with "great force" in response to a spate of rocket fire and a deadly bus bombing in Jerusalem.
Israel had been "subjected to bouts of terror and rocket attacks," Netanyahu told reporters before going into a meeting with Gates.
"We stand ready to act with great force and great determination to put a stop to it," he added, with officials saying Israel had not been hit by any projectiles Friday morning.
"Any civilized society will not tolerate such wanton attacks on its civilians," he said.
However, as Netanyahu spoke, Defense Minister Ehud Barak toured the Gaza border with army chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, saying that the situation seemed to be calming down.
"In the last 24 hours there has been no fire into our territory, but we continue to monitor the situation," Barak said, according to a statement from his office.
And Barak indicated that if the rocket attacks stopped, Israel would also halt its strikes into the Gaza Strip.
"We don't intend to let the terror organizations again disturb the order but we will do all we need to to return the [military] activity to the border line itself," he said.
Also, Barak said, Israel will deploy its "Iron Dome" multi-million-dollar missile defense system in southern Israel for the first time next week in the wake of rocket attacks.
"I authorized the army to deploy in the next few days the first battery of "Iron Dome" for an operational trial," he said.
The deployment of the Iron Dome interceptor, designed to combat short-range rocket threats from Gaza and Lebanon, has been delayed until now with officials saying operating crews needed more training and suggestions the system was prohibitively expensive.
Gates, a former CIA director with years of experience in Washington, said US-Israel security ties were as strong as they had ever been at a time when the region was in "turmoil."
On Thursday, he said in Tel Aviv that Washington firmly backed Israel's right to respond both to the rocket fire and the Jerusalem bombing, which he described as "repugnant acts".
But he suggested Israel should tread carefully or risk derailing the course of popular unrest sweeping Arab and Muslim countries in the Middle East.
The US defense chief is pressing Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take "bold action" for peace despite soaring tensions, saying political upheaval in the region offered an opportunity.
AFP contributed to this report.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=372426
31 mrt 2011
Rocket hits south of Ashkelon; no injuries
Rocket fired by terrorists in north Gaza lands in open space near Israeli city.
A rocket fired by Palestinian terrorists in north Gaza Thursday evening landed in an open area south of Ashkelon. There were no reports of injury or damage.
At around 7:30 pm the "Color Red" siren sounded in communities located south of Ashkelon. An explosion was heard shortly thereafter. Security forces were searching for the rocket's exact landing site.
On Tuesday terrorists in Gaza launched a Qassam rocket towards Sderot, but it landed in Palestinian territory. In response, Israeli aircraft bombed targets in the Hamas-ruled territory, killing a gunman from Islamic Jihad.
Following the deployment of the Iron Dome missile defense system near Beersheba on Sunday, Ashkelon's residents demanded that another battery be deployed near their city. "We sustained rocket fire long before they (Beersheba residents) did," one resident said.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4050597,00.html