- 1 febr 2011
Israeli media: 2 projectiles fired from Gaza
TEL AVIV (Ma'an) -- Israeli media reported the launch of two rounds of projectiles on Monday night and Tuesday morning, hitting two locations east of Khan Younis.
No injuries were reported, but Israeli daily news site Ynet said "four people suffered anxiety."
The first projectile launch was said to have included two grad-style rockets, landing some 20 kilometers from Khan Younis, while the second launch landed further north and was said to have included home-made Qassam-style projectiles.
None of Gaza's militant factions have claimed the attacks.
The last reported projectile launch was on 17 January.
Projectile fire from Gaza was reduced after Hamas officials held an all-factions meeting to pass on a warning from Egypt which said the fire could give Israel the cover to launch another offensive against the coastal enclave.
Resistance factions agreed to the ceasefire, but said they would continue to resist troops which entered Gaza.
Since Israel maintains a large swath of land as a "no go" zone, troops enter to patrol the sometimes kilometer-wide area, which takes up some 20 percent of Gaza's agricultural lands.
Some of what the Israeli media has claimed as projectile fire was said by brigades to have been directed solely at invading Israeli forces.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=356000 19 jan 2012, 21:20 , Respect -
Maria 19 jan 2012, 21:20 , Respect -
Maria 19 jan 2012, 21:20 , Respect -
Maria 4 febr 2011
Qassam hits open area in south
Three days after Grad barrage, rocket launched from Gaza explodes within Sdot Negev Regional Council; no injuries reported.
A Qassam rocket fired from Gaza on Friday morning exploded in an open area within the Sdot Negev Regional Council. There were no reports of injuries or damage. A police sapper was dispatched to the areas.
The Qassam was launched three days after a Grad barrage from the Strip the first rockets to be fired into Israel since the start of the popular uprising in Egypt.
A Grad rocket landed near the southern city of Netivot on Tuesday. Four people suffered from shock, and a parked car and a road sustained damage. Several minutes later, another Grad was fired at the town of Ofakim. Later that evening, a third rocket hit an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council.
One of the people who attended a wedding in a small hall near the rocket's landing site in the Netivot area said, "There was music, then we suddenly hear a loud blast. Everyone - little children and men ran for cover. People fell over one another. It's a miracle no one was hurt."
Another person who attended the wedding said, "Luckily, the rocket landed after the chuppah, while everyone was already eating at the tables. If it had landed a few meters closer, this could have been a mass casualty event."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4023863,00.html 19 jan 2012, 21:20 , Respect -
Maria 5 febr 2011
Abu Marzouk: The West Bankers will not tolerate injustice of the PA
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Deputy head of Hamas's political bureau Dr. Moussa Abu Marzouk said the Palestinian people in the West Bank would not stay silent for long on the injustice of the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority (PA) and its deviation from the course of the Palestinian revolution.
In a press statement to Al-Mustaqbal Al-Arabi online newspaper, Abu Marzouk added that the dictatorship of the PA and its security forces, and their collaboration with the Israeli occupation is one of the factors that might trigger a popular uprising against them.
As for Israel's threats to wage a war on Gaza, the Hamas official opined that any new military aggression against Gaza would not be waged surprisingly without creating the atmosphere for it inside Israel and taking the green light from its allies.
"It could be hard to determine when the aggression would start, but the harbingers of war would be clearly visible. It is not a discretionary matter. It would be more apparent than the last time," he underscored.
http://bit.ly/e38468 19 jan 2012, 21:20 , Respect -
Maria 6 febr 2011
Projectiles hit Israel, media says
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Israeli online news site Ynet reported Sunday that two projectiles landed in east of Khan Younis, causing no injuries.
No faction inside Gaza has claimed the attack.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=357608 19 jan 2012, 21:21 , Respect -
Maria 19 jan 2012, 21:21 , Respect -
Maria 8 febr 2011
Reports: 2 rounds of projectiles hit Negev
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Israeli media reported two separate rounds of projectiles landing in the Negev desert Tuesday, one near the Gaza border and a second in the Western Negev, damaging several cars.
The Israeli news sites Ynet and Ma'ariv reported the incidents at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. respectively.
In a statement, the Al-Quds Brigades said their fighters launched a mortar shell toward an Israeli military zone east of Beit Hanoun.
The brigades, affiliated with the Islamic Jihad, said Israeli fuel tankers were the target of the attack.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=358057
Army: 5 projectiles land in Israel
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Gaza militants fired five projectiles into southern Israel on Tuesday, causing no damage or injuries, the Israeli army said.
The rockets landed in Ashkelon, Sha'ar Ha'Negev and Sdot Negev, a military spokesman said.
Islamic Jihad's armed wing claimed responsibility for one of the launches. In a statement, the Al-Quds Brigades said its fighters targeted fuel tankers in a military post east of Beit Hanoun.
Rising tension along the Gaza border in late 2010 led to a warning from Arab leaders that Gaza factions were risking a major new Israeli invasion.
In mid-January, Hamas leaders called on armed groups to observe an unofficial ceasefire with Israel and to stop firing projectiles.
Resistance factions agreed to the ceasefire, but said they would continue to resist forces who entered Gaza.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=358232
4 mortars hit south; car damaged
Mortar fired from Gaza hits parking lot in Shaar Hanegev Regional Council, another causes damage to hose in nearby field; no injuries reported. Islamic Jihad's military wing claims responsibility.
The Color Red rocket alert system was sounded Tuesday morning in Gaza vicinity communities, followed by a loud blast caused by a mortar shell which exploded in a parking lot in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council.
The mortar shell, fired from the northern Gaza Strip, damaged one car. A second mortar landed in a nearby field and damaged a hose. There were no reports of injuries.
About three hours later, the Color Red alert system was activated once again and two more explosions were heard in the area. There were no reports of injuries.
The al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad's military wing, claimed responsibility, saying the mortars were directed at a military post east of the Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis.
A rocket fired by Palestinian gunmen on Friday hit an open area within the Sdot Negev Regional Council. There were no reports of injuries or damage. The Qassam was launched three days after a Grad barrage from the Strip the first rockets to be fired into Israel since the start of the popular uprising in Egypt.
A Grad rocket landed near the southern city of Netivot on Tuesday. Four people suffered from shock, and a parked car and a road sustained damage. Several minutes later, another Grad was fired at the town of Ofakim. Later that evening, a third rocket hit an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council.
One of the people who attended a wedding in a small hall near the rocket's landing site in the Netivot area said, "There was music, then we suddenly hear a loud blast. Everyone - little children and men %u2013 ran for cover. People fell over one another. It's a miracle no one was hurt."
Another person who attended the wedding said, "Luckily, the rocket landed after the chuppah, while everyone was already eating at the tables. If it had landed a few meters closer, this could have been a mass casualty event."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4025521,00.html 19 jan 2012, 21:21 , Respect -
Maria 9 febr 2011
PFLP wing says shelled Israeli military jeep
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, said militants fired a projectile on an Israeli military jeep east of Gaza City's Ash-Shujayiya neighborhood on Wednesday morning.
According to a statement sent by the group, Israeli soldiers entered the area to rescue the targeted patrol.
The attack came after a series of three Israeli airstrikes hit targets across the Gaza Strip, injuring 10, including three women and two children.
In their statement, the brigades said they would remain steadfast to the option of resistance and would continue to confront "the crimes of the Israeli occupation."
An Israeli military spokesman said he was not immediately familiar with the report, and a spokeswoman later confirmed that no such incident had been reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=358277
MKs: 13 Iron Dome batteries needed
Member of Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee say first batteries of missile defense system must be stationed in Gaza vicinity; defense establishment seeks fewer batteries.
The first two batteries of the Iron Dome system must be stationed in southern Israel as soon as possible, according to a team comprised of members of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which was asked to review the equipping of the missile defense system and come up with recommendations.
In the next fives years, stated the team headed by Knesset Member Amir Peretz (Labor), the Israel Defense Forces must equip itself with 13 batteries, which cost about NIS 9 billion ($2.5 billion).
The team, which also includes MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) and MK Moshe Matalon (Yisrael Beiteinu), submitted its recommendations to Committee Chairman MK Shaul Mofaz and to MK Avi Dichter, chairman of the Subcommittee for Defense Policy, on Wednesday.
The lawmakers wrote in their report that should their recommendations be applied all across Israel, the country would be well protected from short-range rockets and perhaps even medium-range rockets.
The recommendation to station two batteries in front of the Gaza Strip immediately is redundant, however, as the Air Force is planning to do so in any event within a short period of time.
The team members, who thoroughly examined the different issues relating to the Iron Dome system, submitted their recommendations in two separate reports: One open to the public and the other confidential for field security reasons.
In the confidential report, the lawmakers elaborate on the differences of opinion they have with the defense establishment and IDF on nearly all critical issues relating to the equipping of the Iron Dome system.
The defense establishment plans to equip itself with a smaller number of batteries than demanded by the MKs, but to extend the equipping period. In addition, defense officials believe that the supply of intercepting missiles available to every battery will be smaller than the number recommended by the MKs.
This will lead to a significant reduction in the project's cost. The price of each intercepting missile currently stands at $70,000, but the cost is expected to be smaller as Rafael Advanced Defense Systems manufactures more missiles.
One of the obstacles expected to slow down the equipping stage is the limited production ability of Rafael, which will be required to supply thousands of intercepting missiles within a short period of time, if the recommendations of the lawmakers' team are accepted.
MK Peretz, who pushed for the development of Iron Dome and approved its execution during his term as defense minister, said the equipping stage must be accelerated for economic and operational considerations.
Peretz and the other team members believe that a tight activation of the Iron Dome batteries in case of an all-out war or attrition war will reduce the number of fighting days. According to estimates, each day of fighting costs about NIS 1 billion ($270 million).
In addition, stationing the system will prevent casualties and property damages in the civilian and military home front, will free the Air Force to attend to other mission and will provide the IDF and political echelon with greater freedom of decision and action at the start of the fighting.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4026242,00.html 19 jan 2012, 21:21 , Respect -
Maria 10 19 jan 2012, 21:21 , Respect -
Maria 11 febr 2011
Al-Quds Brigades train in Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma`an) -- Islamic Jihad's armed wing underwent military training overnight Thursday in the southern Gaza Strip, the head of the brigades said.
The Al-Quds Brigades trained with various weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, according to a statement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=358962
- 14 febr 2011
Qassam hits western Negev; none injured
Palestinian gunmen fire rocket from Gaza shortly after Benny Gantz sworn in as new IDF chief
A Qassam rocket exploded around noon Monday in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council in the western Negev. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
This was likely the Gaza terror organizations' way to signal to new Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz that they have no plans to give him "an easy life".
The Gaza fire resumed Monday after several days of relative calm. Last Tuesday, four mortar shells hit the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council, damaging a car and a hose.
Several hours later, the Israel Air Force bombed two targets in the northern Strip. Medical sources in Gaza said eight people were lightly injured in the strikes.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4028342,00.html - 18 febr 2011
Explosive device thrown at IDF force in Gaza strip
An explosive device was thrown at IDF forces in the southern Gaza strip on Friday. No injuries or damages were reported.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4030477,00.html - 20 febr 2011
Brigades say soldier shot on border
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The National Resistance Brigades said Sunday that their militants shot and injured an Israeli soldier on patrol east of Gaza City.
The fighters, from the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said they fired directly at the patrol and retreated safely.
According to a statement from the group, the incident took place east of the Ash-Shuja'iyeh neighborhood of Gaza City, near the border.
An Israeli military spokesman said there had been no soldiers injured or reports of significant military activity in the area.
Israeli troops continue to occupy a swath of land between 300 meters to 1.5 kilometers wide along the border inside Gaza. The zone is patrolled by Israeli forces, who prevent farmers and stone aggregate collectors from entering the area which makes up 20 percent of the arable land of the coastal enclave.
In the statement, the NRB said "we affirm that resistance is our chosen path to gain our national rights, and we have vowed to our people to continue this path, to escalate it against Israeli forces until the end of the occupation."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=361724
Maria 23 febr 2011
Al Qassam Brigades deters an Israeli force east of Gaza
Al Qassam website- Ezzedeen Al Qassam Brigades (E.Q.B) The military wing of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas declared on Wednesday afternoon that the brigades have deterred an Israeli force invaded 300 meters inside the Palestinian territories at east of Al Zeitoon neighborhood east of Gaza.
The Brigades said that it has forced the Israeli invading troops out of the area after targeting them with number of Qassam mortars, and roadside bombs against their tanks.
The Brigades confirmed that it will keep eyes wide open against any Israeli penetration in the Palestinian side and will use all possible means and tools of resistance against the Israeli occupatio till the liberation of whole Palestine.
Israeli occupation forces paly with fire If think to wage any attacks against the Palestinian people in Gaza and its latest brutal behavior against our people will cost it an arm and a leg, and our silence will never last.
http://bit.ly/fUX4Pm
Grad rockets fired at Be'er Sheva for first time since Gaza war
One missile hit building in residential area, causing damage; no casualties reported; Palestinians report Israeli air strike retaliation, wounding two Islamic Jihad militants.
Grad rockets were fired at the southern Israeli city of Be'er Sheva on Wednesday, several hours after the Israel Defense Forces fired at a group of militants on the Gaza border, wounding 11.
Palestinian sources reported that the Israel Air Force retaliated late Wednesday with an airstrike in eastern Gaza City, wounding two Islamic Jihad militants. The IDF confirmed the airstrike.
Two Grad rockets were reportedly fired at Be'er Sheva on Wednesday evening, but so far only one missile is known to have landed in the city, which hit a building in a residential area of the city, causing damage, marking the first time Be'er Sheva was hit since the Gaza war in 2009.
"We heard a noise which sounded like very strong wind, but then we heard the Red Color alert. All of the students ran to the staircase, and we heard the explosion. We still don't know where the Grad fell," a student at Ben-Gurion University told Haaretz.
So far there are no reports of casualties as a result of the strike, but several people suffered from anxiety and received medical treatment.
During Operation Cast Lead in 2009, several rockets were fired at Be'er Sheva and two people were seriously wounded, including a seven-year-old boy.
Earlier on Wednesday, IDF forces fired at a group of Gaza militants and wounded 11 people.
Palestinian news agencies reported that three children were among the injured; the other eight were members of the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad.
Gaza emergency services chief Adham Abu Selmeya said that the injured suffered shrapnel wounds. One was in a critical condition while two were in serious condition.
The IDF responded by saying that an explosive device was detonated toward soldiers who were performing routine activity in the area, on the northern part of the border.
"Shortly afterwards, a mortar shell was fired at the force and five additional mortar shells were fired into Israeli territory, landing in the Sdot Negev Regional Council," the IDF statement read. "Subsequently, the force identified a number of militants in the same area and returned fire in their direction. A direct hit was confirmed."
The al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad (Holy War) movement, said in a statement that a group of its members was targeted.
Abu Selmeya added that earlier Wednesday two workers collecting gravel near the border between northern Gaza and Israel were shot and injured by Israeli soldiers.
The IDF noted that in the past two months, "over 12 devices were laid along the security fence and exploded at IDF forces."
They added that two explosive devices were found on the border as recently as Tuesday.
"The terrorist organizations are constantly operating against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers," the IDF stated, adding that they held "the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for maintaining the calm in the Gaza Strip and for any terrorist activity emanating from it."
http://bit.ly/ieBZli
Grad rocket hits Beersheba
Gaza Strip terror reaches Negev capital for first time since Operation Cast Lead. Damage caused to several houses, vehicles after rocket exploded in backyard. Five people suffered anxiety attacks. IDF launched Gaza strike shortly after rocket hit Negev, Ma'an news agency reported.
A Grad rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a backyard in Beersheba Wednesday. Damage was caused to several nearby houses and vehicles. Five people, including women and children suffered anxiety attacks and were taken to the Soroka University Medical Center. There are no reports of other injuries.
Palestinian elements said that the IDF launched an attack on the Gaza Strip as a result.
The inhabitants of the house suffered shock and are being treated by a paramedic. The owner of the house said: "We were coming down to the basement, myself and my son, and suddenly all the glasses shattered. It was horrible."
Yuval Yirmiyahu, a paramedic, said the rocket caused considerable damage, "Two villas were damaged, house windows shattered, doors displaced and shrapnel spread," he said. Damage was also caused to water pipes.
Shortly after the Grad rocket hit Beersheba, the Israel Defense Forces attacked targets in Gaza, Palestinian elements told the Ma'an news agency. According to reports, aircrafts attacked a terrorist cell belonging to al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad's military wing. The terrorists were placing rockets in the purpose of firing them at Israel. Three Palestinians were lighly injured.
The Air Force strike which thwarted additional rocket fire took place less than an hour after the Grad hit Beersheba. The Ma'an news agency also reported that the IDF fired mortar shells near the Rantisi mosque in the Zeitun neighborhood.
An alarm was sounded in the area at around 9:40 pm accompanied by explosion sounds.
The MDA director ordered the alertness level be raised in the Southern District. Police forces are at the scene.
Beerheba Mayor Rubik Danilovitch said one house was hit. "No one was hurt thanks to the fact that everyone entered fortified areas and the rocket landed outdoors."
Damage caused to one house
The Southern District chief at the Home Front Command Colonel Eitan Yitzhak said that the IDF was not surprised by the rocket fire and noted only one rocket exploded. He said that the alert systems were duly activated and residents followed guidelines by entering fortified areas.
One of the residents said he heard the alarm while in his backyard. "As the alarm went off I stepped inside and told the whole family to enter the fortified room. We then heard a loud blast and one of the doors fell inside the living room. Luckily no one was hurt. "
Salit, a Ramat Gan resident whose parents reside in Beesheba told Ynet that the windows at her parents' house had shattered but that her parents have not been injured.
Noa Raz, a Beersheba resident told Ynet she heard two loud blasts.
The Negev police said they received reports from residents who heard explosions. "We have yet to detect a hit at this point," one officer said.
Earlier on Wednesday, three mortar bombs exploded in the Shaar Henegev Regional Council. No injuries were reported. One of the bombs exploded near a soccer field, another near a pool and the third near a kibbutz outside the border fence. Also Wednesday, 11 Palestinians were hurt by mortars fired by the IDF in the eastern Gaza Strip.
The Islamic Jihad's military wing, Al-Quds Brigades, claimed its people fired two mortars at IDF forces which crossed the fence, causing the tanks to fire shells back at them. According to the Islamic Jihad, three of their men were injured, one was severely injured.
Last Saturday, a rocket landed in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council. No alarm was sounded. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4033209,00.html -
Maria 25 febr 2011
Qassam lands in Negev; no injuries
Rocket fired from north Gaza lands near Netivot; another Qassam apparently lands in Palestinian territory.
A Qassam rocket fired from northern Gaza late Friday landed in an open area within the limits of the Sdot Negev Regional Council. There were no reports of injury or damage.
Security forces were searching for the rocket's exact landing site.
The "Color Red" alert system sounded just after 10:30 pm in Netivot and the surrounding area. A number of explosions were heard shortly thereafter.
Terrorists apparently fired another rocket which landed in Palestinian territory.
Earlier this week Palestinian terrorists fired a Grad rocket towards Beersheba for the first time since Operation Cast Lead ended in January 2009. Ten people suffered from shock. In response, Israeli aircraft launched a series of strikes in Gaza. The aircraft opened fire on the rocket-launching cell, and the Palestinians said three people were lightly injured.
The relative calm along the Israel-Gaza border was violated some 10 days ago - on the day Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz took over as the 20th IDF chief of staff when a Qassam rocket exploded in an open area in the Negev region. There were no reports of injury or damage.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4034164,00.html
19 jan 2012, 21:22 , Respect -
Maria 26 febr 2011
Mortar shell explodes in Negev, no injuries
A mortar shell exploded in open spaces in Eshkol Regional Council Saturday afternoon. No injuries or damage were reported.
Earlier Air Force jets bombed targets in the Gaza Strip in response to the increasing fire on Israel in recent days.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4034427,00.html -
Maria 27 febr 2011
Gaza govt: Israel lying about projectile numbers
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Gaza's interior ministry released a statement Sunday, saying recent reports of projectile from Gaza were false, and accused Israel of fabricating the claims in the interest of world public opinion.
The most recent reports of unconfirmed projectile fire from Gaza came on 27 and 25 February, where Israeli military and police officials told reporters that Qassam rockets landed near the southern Gaza Strip.
In both cases, resistance factions did not report launching the projectiles, and the reports remained unconfirmed.
"Over the past days, the Israeli occupation has been publishing lies on the firing of projectiles from Gaza toward Israel, in order to create excuses to prepare world public opinion for an escalation against Gaza," the statement said.
The ministry further accused Israel of launching the accusations as a cover for ongoing settlement activity in Jerusalem, and the Israeli "Judization" of the city.
The country was "taking advantage" of the world's focus on revolts in Arab states, and preparing to ramp-up its aggression on Gaza, the statement said.
In mid January, Egyptian officials warned Gaza government officials against an escalation in projectile fire, reportedly telling leaders that the homemade rockets could lead to a new Israeli offensive against the coastal enclave.
A Jan. 13 meeting with security commanders saw Haniyeh call on armed Palestinian factions to refrain from actions that could endanger Gaza, instructions interpreted as a call to join Hamas' two-year ceasefire with Israel.
At the time, the Gaza-based premier said his decision was an effort to prevent Israel from "taking advantage" of the pretext cited by its army for firing on Gaza following rocket attacks.
Since that point, projectile fire decreased, with factions insisting the majority of fire was directed at Israeli forces operating in Gaza, or Israeli military infrastructure near the borders.
Factions, however, continue to announce the periodic launch of projectiles into Israeli territory, affirming in their statements the position that resistance is a viable option for securing Palestinian self-determination.
http://bit.ly/hXx6tl
Rocket fired from Gaza hits Israel, no casualties
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit Israeli territory on Sunday morning, raising Israel's alert level but causing no damage or casualties, according to Israel's military and police.
The latest rocket, which the military's spokeswoman said struck a field in the Eshkol region in southern Israel, comes after a string of Israeli air raids targeting militant training camps across the Gaza Strip on Saturday night.
A first set of strikes hit two camps belonging to Islamic Jihad, while a second raid targeted two camps belonging to the Ezzedine al-Qassem Brigades, the armed wing of Gaza's ruling Hamas movement, in the southern city of Rafah.
The second raid wounded four people including a toddler, Palestinian officials and medics said.
A third air strike blasted an Islamic Jihad facility west of Khan Younis, witnesses said.
The military said the attacks "targeted a number of terror hubs... in response to recent rocket fire into Israel."
The air raids came after tensions rose along the Israel-Gaza border this week following clashes in which an Islamic Jihad gunman was killed and a rocket attack on the Israeli city of Beersheba hit a house but caused no casualties.
It was the first rocket to reach the city since the devastating offensive Israel waged against Gaza December 2008 to January 2009, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn the territory's militants not to "test" Israel.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Sunday that the country's alert level had been raised in response to the renewed rocket fire and regional instability.
"The police examined the security situation and decided to raise the alert level on Israeli territory for a week," Rosenfeld said.
"The security examination was undertaken after the new Palestinian rocket fire on Sunday and because of the continued unrest in the Arab and Muslim world," he said.
It is not unusual for Israel to raise its security alert level in response to a perceived increase in the risk of attacks.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=363747
Radwan: Israel's military escalation will not weaken Hamas
BRUSSELS, (PIC)-- Senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan said that Israel's military aggression against the Gaza Strip would never succeed in undermining the strength of Hamas Movement, stressing that the Palestinian people's will is stronger than the brutality of the occupation.
"The enemy is trying to export its internal crises and express its worry over the changes taking place in the region through heating and escalating the situation," Radwan stated Saturday in a press statement to the Palestinian information center (PIC).
The Hamas official also stressed the right of the Palestinian people and their resistance to retaliate to Israel's crimes and military attacks.
Israel carried out on Saturday a number of aerial attacks on Gaza, which led to the injury of five citizens and the destruction of several houses and facilities.
In another context, the European campaign to end Gaza siege strongly denounced Israel for its decision to close fully and permanently Al-Mintar (Karni) commercial crossing.
In a press release on Saturday, spokesman for the campaign Mohamed Hanoun said this Israeli decision is part of the measures pursued by Israel to tighten the grip on Gaza people through closing its crossings.
Hanoun affirmed that there are four commercial crossings used to bring goods into Gaza, but Israel closed them all, pointing that the closure of Al-Mintar crossing would cause a major crisis in importing goods into Gaza.
http://bit.ly/hYvBF6 19 jan 2012, 21:23 , Respect -
Maria 28 febr 2011
Hamas slams Israel's justification for its killing of civilians 9 years ago
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement strongly denounced the Israeli occupation state for acquitting killers of Al-Qassam leader Salah Shehadeh who was among dozens of children and civilians who were bombed during an aerial attack nine years ago on a residential area in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum stated on Monday that the Israeli decision to exonerate the perpetrators was an insolent challenge to the Palestinian people's feelings and official encouragement for more crimes and terrorist attacks against the Palestinians.
Spokesman Barhoum emphasized that Israel practices systematic state terrorism and always confers legitimacy on its war crimes.
"This file and all files of the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation must be referred to the international criminal court and there should be decisions that curb this entity and isolate it internationally as well as the international institutions should impose economic, security, military, and political sanctions on Israel, expose its crimes and support the justice of the Palestinian cause," the spokesman underlined.
http://bit.ly/ePhMQb
Hamas warns of Israel's use of regional events to wage new war on Gaza
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement said that Israel's escalation of its military attacks on the Gaza Strip is dangerous and coincides with its threats to wage a new devastating war on the Strip, warning that Israel is not concerned with creating a state of calm and stability in Palestine.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a press statement to the Palestinian information center (PIC) on Sunday that his Movement takes Israel's war threats seriously.
Spokesman Barhoum affirmed that Israel exploits the American financial, military and security support as well as the international community's preoccupation with the regional changes to escalate its crimes and ethnic cleansing policy against the Palestinians and destabilize the Palestinian arena.
The spokesman stressed that the repeated Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people are taking place in the absence of the international justice and the genuine Arab support for the Palestinian cause.
Political writer and analyst Mustafa Assawaf said that the Fatah-controlled Palestinian authority is in disarray and does not know what it wants, especially after it said that Salam Fayyad's reconciliation plan would destroy Fatah faction.
"This gives a clear indication that Fatah Movement is not stable and suffers from a state of reactions as a result of the events taking place in the region, and all its previous moves were a reaction to absorb the masses' anger at its terrorist behavior in the West Bank," Assawaf added in a press release on Sunday.
http://bit.ly/glHopf
1 mrt 2011
Armed factions claim mortar attacks on Israeli forces
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The Al-Aqsa Brigades and the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades claimed responsibility for firing mortar shells at Israeli forces on Monday.
The armed wings of Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine issued statements saying fighters targeted soldiers trying to invade the Al-Ghoul area in the northern Gaza Strip
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=364270
3 mrt 2011
Gaza fighters: Projectile fired at Israeli military tower
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A militant group in Gaza said fighters fired a C5K rocket toward an Israeli military guard tower on Thursday, saying in a statement that attacks against military infrastructure would continue until Israel's occupation ended.
The National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said the munition was fired at a watch tower south of the Kissufim military base, located northeast of Khan Younis, on the Gaza-Israel border.
"We choose the option of resistance as the means to attain our national rights, and promise the Palestinian people that we will continue resistance against Israeli forces," the statement from the brigades said.
An Israeli military statement said a projectile hit the Sdot Negev Regional Council overnight, but caused no injuries.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=365083
10 mrt 2011
Israel: 2 projectiles from Gaza land in territory
TEL AVIV (Ma'an) -- The Israeli military reported Thursday morning the landing of two projectiles a statement said were fired from the Gaza Strip overnight.
Israel's online news site Ynet said one projectile landed after 10 p.m. Wednesday in the Eshkol Regional Council, an area east of the southern Gaza Strip, and a second around 7 a.m. on Thursday in the Negev Regional Council, an area bordering the northeast corner of the Gaza Strip.
No injuries were reported in either incident, and reports did not say how far into Israeli territory the projectiles landed.
Resistance factions in Gaza have not claimed either attack.
Hamas officials in Gaza, in cooperation with resistance groups, have recently stemmed the flow of projectiles into civilian areas in Israel, focusing fire on Israeli military infrastructure on the Gaza borders.
It was not clear what the target of the reported projectiles was.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=367253 19 jan 2012, 21:24 , Respect
Maria 11 mrt 2011
Qassam hits Negev, does damage
Rocket explodes in agricultural field, harming equipment. 'Miracle no one was hurt,' says official.
A Qassam rocket hit agricultural fields in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council Friday afternoon. No injuries were reported, but damage was caused to agricultural equipment.
The alarm was sounded in the area, and residents succeeded in reaching their bunkers. Yair Farjoun, the chairman of the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, said it was a miracle no one had been hurt.
"Qassam rockets remind us all that the region is sensitive and loaded. I call on the residents to be wary and uphold safety procedures," he said in a statement.
The previous Qassam rocket had been fired Wednesday, and exploded in Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported.
Last Friday two rockets were fired from Gaza, one of which exploded in Sdot Negev Regional Council and the other in Palestinian territory. No injuries or damage were reported.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4040893,00.html