- 27 aug 2010
Report: Mortar fired from Gaza
NEGEV, Israel (Ma'an/Agencies) -- Israeli officials told the nation's media on Friday morning that a mortar fired from the northern Gaza Strip landed in an open area of the Negev desert.
The officials said the projectile landed "within the Eshkol Regional Council's limits" and reported no injuries or damages.
No group inside the Strip claimed the launch, however, early on Thursday morning the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, said three mortar shells were fired at Israeli forces in the central Gaza Strip.
At the time, an Israeli spokeswoman said there were no reports from troops about any similar activity.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=311114 - 2 sept 2010
Hamas claims responsibility for second West Bank shooting attack in two days
'The attack was a message to those who pledged there would be no more attacks,' says Islamist group as violence flares again in the eve of peace talks in Washington.
Hamas on Thursday claimed responsibility for a shooting attack in which two Israelis were wounded, one of them seriously, in the West Bank.
Wednesday's roadside attack, near the Jewish settlement of Kochav Hashachar, occurred on the eve of face-to-face peace negotiations between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.
Around 11 p.m., there were reports of a shooting in the Rimonim Junction area, and a car was found overturned after police and emergency crews conducted sweeps of the area.
Police said Palestinian gunmen had ambushed the Israeli car, which was found riddled with bullet holes.
Gunmen from the Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Palestinian Gaza Strip but has been curbed by Abbas's forces in the West Bank, killed four settlers in a similar attack on Tuesday and had vowed more violence to derail the talks.
"The attack was a message to those who pledged to the Zionist enemy that there would be no more attacks," said Hamas armed wing spokesman Abu Ubaida, referring to Abbas's U.S.-backed Palestinian Authority administration.
http://fwd4.me/0kVs
Al-Zahar: No connection between attacks, peace talks
We want calm Gaza.' Al-Zahar
Addressing this week's terror attacks against Israelis in West Bank, senior Hamas official says, 'When people have an opportunity, as well as the capabilities and targets, they act.' Adds: We will not bear responsibility for failure of faulty negotiations
Senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Zahar said there was no connection between this week's terror attacks in the West Bank and the launching of direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
In an interview with London-based Arabic daily a-Sharq al-Awsat published Thursday, al-Zahar said the attempt to link the attacks to the peace talks is "fundamentally wrong," adding that the decision to carry out the attacks was made by "people in the field."
"There are those who are saying the timing of the attacks was deliberate, but this is not true. When people have an opportunity, as well as the capabilities and targets, they act."
Four Israelis were killed and two others were injured in two separate shooting attacks this week. Hamas' armed wing claimed responsibility for both attacks.
"We will not bear responsibility for the failure of what is faulty at its foundation," al-Zahar said, referring to the possibility that the peace negotiations will collapse.
"We want Gaza to remain calm because we liberated it. At this time we are not speaking of the liberation of all of Palestine. The current plan is to liberate the West Bank," the Hamas man said. "If they (Palestinian Authority) succeed in doing so, we will give them credit. How was Gaza freed? Through negotiations? Of course not. The Israelis understood that (occupying Gaza) exacts a heavy price and chose to leave.
"The question is who is preventing resistance in the West Bank? They (PA) are by cooperating with Israel on security issues," according to al-Zahar.
Addressing the peace talks, the Hamas official said, "Its results are already known. The Israelis are united with regards to Jerusalem, and the Palestinian side will get nothing. Secondly, the refugees who can convince the (Palestinian) refugees in Jordan, Syria or Lebanon to accept what is being proposed?
"Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) will conduct himself as Abu Amar (Yasser Arafat) did he will not give up on the principles and the issue will be over," al-Zahar stated.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3948068,00.html
Hamas unveils tripled-range missile
The Palestinian Hamas movement has beefed up its military prowess, unveiling reports of new missiles, capable of hitting targets deeper into Israel.
The Islamic movement said on Wednesday that it had completed the construction of a new missile with the range of 80 kilometers, Quds news agency reported.
The missile has a range of more than three times than that of the previous Palestinian missiles, and can strike deep into Herzliya and Kfar Shuba.
The resistance movement's rockets previously had a range of no more than 25 kilometers.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/140944.html
UN Human Rights chief denounces terror attacks against Israelis
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay has denounced the recent terror attacks against Israelis, which left four dead and two wounded.
Pillay added that those responsible may face international law charges.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3948646,00.html
Islamic Jihad calls for more attacks
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The Islamic Jihad movement on Thursday praised the West Bank drive-by shootings, calling for further attacks, and denounced peace talks in Washington.
Speaking at a press conference in Gaza, Islamic Jihad leader Khaled Al-Batsh praised the two West Bank attacks which saw four Israelis killed and two injured in the 48 hours leading up to the resumption of peace talks in Washington on Thursday. The attacks were claimed by Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades.
Al-Batsh called for resistance attacks to resume until all Palestinian territories are liberated.
Further, Al-Batsh called on Palestinian leaders to end negotiations with Israel, which he said provided a political cover for Israel to continue to expand settlements and "judaize" Jerusalem. He said the movement would organize rallies on Friday to commemorate International Jerusalem Day in solidarity with the city.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=312811
Hamas vows to continue attacks & Hamas says talks illegitimate
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Attacks by Hamas' armed wing will continue "in any form and in any place, including inside Israel and in Gaza, a spokesman said Thursday.
The Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for killing four settlers in a drive-by shooting near Hebron on Tuesday evening, and for injuring two Israelis in a similar attack by Romodin Junction near Ramallah a day later.
Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida said the second attack was "a slap in the face" for those who said the deadly shooting near Hebron would not be repeated.
Abu Obeida said the Ramallah shooting was timed "according to field circumstances" but added that it conveyed a message to negotiators who "conceded and went along with the forces of the occupation and made their efforts to chase the resistance fighters in the wake of the heroic Hebron attack."
Following the shooting in Hebron, Palestinian Authority security forces launched an arrest campaign in Hebron. At a press conference in Gaza on Thursday Hamas spokesman Sami Abu-Zuhri accused the PA of arresting 550 of the Islamist movement's affiliates.
Abu Zuhri reiterated Abu Obeida's insistence that the attacks would continue, and said the shootings in Hebron and Ramallah were "an evidence of the option of resistance and its resolve" in the face of security coordination between Israel and the PA.
At the same press conference, Hamas leader Fawzi Barhoum said the success of the two attacks, despite security coordination, demonstrated that "any gambling on eliminating resistance will lose."
The attack in Ramallah came as US President Barack Obama welcomed President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, DC, a day ahead of the first session of direct peace negotiations in 20 months.
Speaking after the Hebron attack, Obama said the "senseless slaughter" would not derail peace talks. "And so the message should go out to Hamas and everybody else who is taking credit for these heinous crimes that this is not going to stop us."
Responding to Obama's message, Abu Obeida said the president's stance was expected but that "Al-Qassam does not gamble on the stances of the United States."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=312776
IDF warns of wave of violence as Hamas bids to sink peace talks
Army and police on high alert after second West Bank shooting in two days mars opening of Israel-PA talks in Washington.
The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday warned of a possible wave of attacks as Hamas militants try to sabotage Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which formally opened in Washington on Wednesday.
The warning follows two drive-by shootings on Israeli targets in the West Bank this week, which killed four Israeli civilians and wounded two more. Hamas militants claimed responsibility for both attacks.
"There may be more attacks," Brig. Gen Nitzan Alon told Army Radio. "The capability exists on the ground."
Alon said the military had received no specific intelligence about the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday – but that the army had expected attempts to disrupt the talks.
"We knew opposition elements like Hamas would try to carry out attacks to try and disrupt the diplomatic process," Alon said.
Israeli police were on high alert Thursday following the outbreak of violence. A police spokesman said additional security was being deployed in the West Bank in anticipation of a third attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said repeatedly that Israel's security is his major concern in negotiations, vowed Wednesday that he would not allow the outbreak of violence to damage direct talks with Palestinian President Mahoumoud Abbas.
As preparations continued for the first meeting between the two on Thursday, the Palestinian Authority moved quickly to reassure Israel and reassert control in the West Bank, rounding up 250 Hamas supporters.
Hamas, which opposes negotiations with Israel, has been at odds with Abbas' ruling Fatah faction since Hamas violently seized the Gaza Strip from Fatah in 2007.
U.S. President Brack Obama, who has staked considerable political capital on the American-sponsored peace talks, on Wednesday night urged both sides not to be deterred by the attacks and seize an historic opportunity for compromise.
"This moment of opportunity may not soon come again," Obama said.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-warns-of-wave-of-violence-as-hamas-bids-to-sink-peace-talks-1.311712
Hamas: Attack will not trip up talks because they 'are fundamentally faulty'
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar responded to the fatal shooting attack on Tuesday near Beit Hagai and its effects on the peace talks in Washington. "We will not bear responsibility for the failure of what is faulty at its foundation," he said.
Hamas' military wing took responsibility for the attack. In an interview with London daily a-Sharq al-Awsat, al-Zahar said that whether or not the timing of the attacks as peace talks kicked off, the decision to carry out the attack was made by Hamas men in the field.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3948044,00.html 19 jan 2012, 21:00 , Respect -
Maria 3 sept 2010
Gaza: Armed groups to form joint force
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Twelve militant groups held a meeting in the Gaza Strip last week, and agreed to form a joint operations room to coordinate resistance activities, Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman told reporters Thursday.
Speaking shortly before US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell delivered an update on the peace talks in Washington, Abu Obeida, flanked by representatives of the 12 groups, announced a "new phase of advanced joint efforts" for the resistance.
The Al-Qassam Brigades claimed to have orchestrated and carried out two attacks on Israeli settlers in the West Bank over the past three days, the first killing four - two men, two women, one of the latter pregnant - near Hebron, and the second injuring two near Ramallah.
In statements issued by the brigades, the attacks were said to have been acts of opposition to the decision of the Palestinain leadership in Ramallah to return to peace talks with Israel against the wishes of Palestinians.
"The armed wings held a meeting in Gaza on 30 August, and agreed on a set of principals in working against the Israeli occupation." Abu Obeida said, hinting at the nature of the agreements, he added, "we will not allow the [peace talks] to pass, the resistance will have its word."
Abu Obeida reiterated the rejection of peace talks in their current form, and gave blessing to the individuals who carried out the two attacks on West Bank settlers on Tuesday and Wednesday night. "They were a natural response to the crimes of the occupation, and will not be the last of the resistance attacks," he said.
According to the spokesman, the participating brigades included:
Hamas' Al-Qssam Brigades
Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades
Popular Resistance Committees' Salah Ad-Din Brigades
Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades
The Al-Sa’eqa forces, also linked to Fatah
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine's Abu Ali Mustafa brigades,
Jihad Jibril Brigades, also linked to the PFLP
Saif Al-Islam Brigades
Al-Ansar Brigades
Humat Al-Aqsa (Al-Aqsa protectors)
The Al-Aqsa Brigades, however, later issued a statement saying they had no representative at the news conference, and that the statements made during the event did not "represent our stance."
The brigades said they refused to take part in media campaigns that aimed only to achieve a "narrow, partisan objective and not regional goals, at the expense of all Palestinians."
Continuing, the statement said that "resistance and armed struggle is our qualitative and strategic option that will not be given up as long as the occupation continues its crimes against the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza."
The group called on other militant wings to reconsider their stance, but encouraged participation in a joint initiative in general.
Hamas condemns harassment of affiliates in West Bank
During the news conference, the Al-Qassam spokesman urged PA forces in the West Bank to halt their mass detention campaign targeting Hamas members in the West Bank. Detentions of hundreds of men and women were reported in the days following the attacks against settlers, which have been condemned by rights groups as arbitrary and against Palestinian Basic Laws.
Detainees included teachers, students, professionals, traders, and imams of mosques across the West Bank. Many were arrested at work or at home while others were summoned to security offices by phone and then detained, investigations from rights groups reported.
At a press conference in Gaza on Thursday Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri accused the PA of arresting 550 of the Islamist movement's affiliates.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=312868
Gaza militants warn of further attacks as peace talks get underway
Hamas says 13 militants groups have joined forces to launch 'effective' attack against Israel, declaring 'all options are open'.
Palestinian militant groups have joined forces to step up attacks against Israel, possibly including suicide bombings, the Hamas Islamist faction said on Thursday, after Palestinian and Israeli leaders launched direct peace negotiations in Washington.
A spokesman for Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said some 13 militant groups had joined forces to launch "more effective attacks" against Israel. Asked if this included suicide bombings, he said: "All options are open."
The declaration came hours after Palestinian Authority security forces detained two men in the West Bank suspected of involvement in a deadly shooting attack in which four Israelis were killed earlier this week.
The four were traveling in a car on route 60 late Tuesday when assailants opened fire at them. Following the incident, Palestinian security forces in the West Bank carried out one of the largest arrest sweeps in history, bringing in over 300 suspects in efforts to locate the culprits.
On Wednesday, one day after the deadly shooting attack, assailants once again opened fire at an Israeli vehicle at Rimonim Junction, east of Ramallah. Two people were wounded in the attack.
On Thursday evening, a 12-year-old Israeli girl was moderately wounded when assailants hurled rocks at a car she was traveling in near the West Bank settlement of Ariel.
The spate of attacks coincided with the launch of U.S.-backed direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in Washington. Hamas have come out vocally against the talks, claiming responsibility for the shooting attacks and warning of further attacks.
http://bit.ly/99LMWa
PA official: Hamas will strike again
General Adnan Damiri
Commander in Palestinian security organizations says latest terror spree an attempt by Islamist group to disrupt peace talks, warns Hamas' terror effort will increase as negotiations progress.
Hamas will try to execute more terror attacks against Israelis in the West Bank, a Palestinian Authority source told Ynet on Thursday night.
General Adnan Damiri, a commander and spokesman for the Palestinian Security and Police Forces, said that the PA's security forces were "on high alert." Our premise, he added, is that Hamas "will attempt to launch more attacks and that the settlers will try to expand their retaliatory acts, as well."
The past three days have seen three attacks against Israelis: Tuesday saw four Israelis killed near Mount Hebron, Wednesday saw two Israelis injured near Ramallah, and Thursday saw a 12-year old girl wounded in a stoning attack at Tapuach Junction.
Hamas has been celebrating the terror spree, distributing films reenacting the first two terror attacks, in which actors pose as haredim and are shot by Palestinian terrorists.
General Damiri said that both history and statistics prove that Hamas will try to disrupt the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, just as it did in 1996 and 1997.
"As the negotiations progress, if they see it stands a chance, Hamas will attempt to step up the attacks."
Palestinian organizations' summit in Gaza
The Palestinian general added that the weakness lies with areas which are under Israeli security control: "Hamas would not dare launch attacks in areas under our control. The Israelis should reconsider their stance and see why attacks are launched from Area C, which is under (Israel's) complete security control."
Damiri added that the PA warned Israel that those areas have become hotbeds of organized criminal activity, as well as for militants and radicals.
He also confirmed that Palestinian security forces have arrested dozens of suspects since Tuesday's terror attack: "We have no problem arresting anyone who breaks the law, tries of violate it, or harm the PA's political commitments. We arrest members of all organizations who threaten to upset law and order, and our commitments."
General Damiri also said that the Palestinian Authority recognized a joint effort by the "enemies of peace" on both sides to disrupt the peace process. "This is Hamas' 'death project,' as opposed to the PA's 'life and peace project.'"
Israel, he continues, must overcome its fear and afford the Palestinian security forces full control of all areas.
"I say to all Israelis we can do this. We have the ability, the capability and the motivation to introduce law and order across the West Bank. We have proven ourselves, and you have to wonder why the areas we control are run in an exemplary manner, security wise; while Area C and the grey areas have criminal and militant activity, the result of which we have seen in the past few days."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3948741,00.html 19 jan 2012, 21:00 , Respect -
Maria 4 sept 2010
Hamas official: Israeli settlers are a legitimate military target
Member of Hamas' politburo says settlers posses more than half a million automatic weapons, as well as being regularly supported by IDF troops.
Israeli settlers in the West Bank are legitimate targets since they are an army in every sense of the word, a senior Hamas official told the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper on Saturday, adding that Palestinians were still committed to an armed struggle against Israel.
The comment by Ezzat al-Rashk, a member of Hamas's political office, came in the wake of recent attacks against Israeli citizens in the West Bank.
On Tuesday, four Israelis were killed when unknown assailants opened fire at a vehicle they were traveling in near the West Bank city of Hebron. The following night, two Israelis were wounded in a similar shooting attack at the Rimonim Junction near the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Earlier Thursday, Palestinian sources told Haaretz that the Palestinian security forces had apprehended two Hamas-affiliated Hebron residents suspected to have been involved in the deadly shooting attack on Tuesday.
The attacks coincided with the launch of U.S.-sponsored direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians in Washington. The Islamist Palestinian group Hamas has come out vocally against the talks. Claiming responsibility for Tuesday's and Wednesday's shootings, Hamas vowed to carry out further attacks.
"Attacking settlers is a natural thing," al-Rashk told Al-Hayat on Saturday, saying the "Zionist settlers are the occupation's first reserve military force."
"They are now a real army in every sense of the word, with more than 500,000 automatic weapons at their disposal, on top of the basic protection by the [Israel Defense Forces]," the Hamas official said.
Al-Rashk also referred to the ongoing attempt to relaunch talks between Israel and the PA, saying they were noting more "than a media circus through which the U.S. administration wants to market its policy."
Another Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, the organization's Lebanon spokesperson, told the London-based newspaper that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was willing to forfeit "99 percent of the Palestinians' rights, saying negotiations were over before they even began.
The comments by the two Hamas strongmen came as a Qassam rocket was fired by militants from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, exploding in an open field in the western Negev. No injuries were reported.
http://fwd4.me/0kQW
Gaza militants fire Qassam into southern Israel
Hamas, which controls the coastal Strip, has vowed to commit 'operations of resistance' against Israel amid attempts to restart direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Gaza militants fired a Qassam rocket into Israel, Army Radio reported on Saturday, adding that the projectile exploded in an open field in the western Negev. No injuries were reported.
The attack comes amid attempts to relaunch direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Washington, a move to which Hamas, the Islamist group which controls the Gaza Strip, strongly objects.
On Tuesday, four Israelis were killed when unknown assailants opened fire at a vehicle they were traveling in near the West Bank city of Hebron.
The following night, two Israelis were wounded in a similar shooting attack at the Rimonim Junction near the West Bank city of Ramallah.
The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday warned of a possible wave of attacks as Hamas militants try to sabotage Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, with Brig. Gen Nitzan Alon telling Army Radio that "there may be more attacks," adding that the "capability exists on the ground."
Alon said the military had received no specific intelligence about the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday but that the army had expected attempts to disrupt the talks.
"We knew opposition elements like Hamas would try to carry out attacks to try and disrupt the diplomatic process," Alon said.
Hamas on Thursday vowed more violence: "Operations of resistance will continue and the measures by the occupation and Fatah will not block them," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.
http://fwd4.me/0kQX 19 jan 2012, 21:00 , Respect -
Maria 19 jan 2012, 21:00 , Respect -
Maria 6 sept 2010
Israel army: Mortar strikes western Negev
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A mortar shell fired from the Gaza Strip struck southern Israel early Monday, the Israeli military said.
The projectile landed in open territory in the Eshkol Regional Council causing no damage or injury, the army announced.
The attack came a day after Israel's air force bombed Gaza leaving two Palestinians dead.
The airstrikes targeted three areas in total late Saturday, medics and security officials said.
The Israeli military confirmed carrying out the air raids and said they came in retaliation for projectile fire that targeted southern Israel's Negev Regional Council hours earlier, which caused no reported damage or injury.
It also came in response to a deadly attack against Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, the army said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=313459 19 jan 2012, 21:00 , Respect -
Maria 7 sept 2010
Color Red alert sounds throughout city, Sha'ar Hanegev
Color Red alert sounds throughout city, Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council in wee hours of the night; rocket lands just outside city limits.
The residents of Sderot and Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council had a rude awakening in the middle of the night, as a Color Red alert sounded just after 2 am.
Shortly afterwards an explosion rocked the area. It was later confirmed that a Qassam rocket fired from northern Gaza landed in an open area just outside Sderot city limits.
Residents reported seeing mass security forces movement at the direction of the presumed landing site. No injuries or damage were reported.
Rocket fire from northern Gaza renewed just as the Washington peace summit was getting underway, as did terror attacks against Israelis in the West Bank.
http://bit.ly/9vRlPD 19 jan 2012, 21:00 , Respect -
Maria 8 sept 2010
Mortar lands near kindergarten; no injuries
Wave of attacks on south Israel continues as Gaza terrorists fire mortar shell half-hour before children arrive at kindergartens in Negev kibbutz. 'Attack could have ended in great tragedy,' resident says
A mortar shell fired by Palestinian terrorists in north Gaza Wednesday morning exploded near a number of kindergartens in a kibbutz located in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. There were no reports of injury, but slight damage was caused to one of the kindergartens.
IDF forces located the shell's landing site. The shell exploded a half-hour before the children were supposed to arrive at the kindergartens.
"We heard a loud explosion. I woke up in a panic," a kibbutz resident said. "The shell exploded about 100 meters (330 feet) from my house. The blast was so powerful it set off the car alarms. It was very frightening.
"The shell landed between the buildings. It could have ended in a great tragedy," he said.
Soldiers near mortar landing site
Yenina accompanied her son to the kindergarten shortly after the mortar hit. "There is no choice but to get back to the routine," she said. "It is a holiday today. People are not as happy, but the kindergartens are fortified and everyone brought their children. The Color Red alert system does not warn residents of incoming mortars as it does when Qassams are fired. That's the scary part. Qassams and mortars fall here on an almost daily basis."
One of the kindergartens that was almost hit by the mortar has a protective roof, but its walls are not shielded. "The mortar's landing site is proof of why all the structures, including their walls, must be fortified urgently," another kibbutz resident said.
The security establishment has decided to keep the area's kindergarten's open Wednesday, but the children will remain indoors for the coming hours.
On Tuesday at around 2 am, the residents of Sderot and the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council awoke to the sound of the Color Red siren. A Qassam rocket hit the area a short while later, but there were no reports of injury or damage.
The firing of rockets from Gaza increased following the launching of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
http://bit.ly/cUFwXo 19 jan 2012, 21:00 , Respect -
Maria 9 sept 2010
More rockets: 2 Qassams land in south
Gaza terrorists continue to target southern Israel; no injuries or damages reported in latest attack.
For the second time during Rosh Hashana, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired rockets on southern Israel.
Two Qassam rockets fired from the Strip landed Thursday in an open area in the Shaar Hanegev regional council. No injuries or damages were reported in the attack.
Local residents said the Color Red anti-rocket alert system was activated in the area.
One Qassam rocket was fired from Gaza Thursday morning. The rocket landed in an open area as well, and in that case too no injuries or damages were reported. Security forces rushed to the area in order to pinpoint the landing site.
On Wednesday, Gaza Strip terrorists fired a mortar shell that exploded near kindergartens at a southern kibbutz. No injures were reported in that attack, but one of the kindergartens was slightly damaged.
Kindergartens at the kibbutz operate regularly on Friday and on Holy Day eves, yet fortunately the mortar shell was fired about 30 minutes before children were set to arrive at the site.
http://bit.ly/cVapQg
Report: Projectile behind Negev explosion
TEL AVIV (Ma'an/Agencies) -- A projectile from Gaza landed in an agricultural area of the western Negev on Thursday afternoon, Israeli news site Ynet reported.
The site said no injuries or damages were reported.
No militant group in Gaza has claimed the launch.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=314220 19 jan 2012, 21:00 , Respect -
Maria 10 sept 2010
Qassam hits southern community; no injuries
After IDF planes bomb Gaza targets, rocket fired by Palestinians lands within Shaar Hanegev Regional Council. Resident: There is a 'false reality' of calm
A Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on Friday morning exploded within the southern Shaar Hanegev Regional Council. It was the fourth rocket fired at Israel in the past 24 hours. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Two days ago, a mortar shell landed near a kindergarten in the same community, only half an hour before the children's arrival. According to local residents, there is a "false reality" of calm in the area while the firing incidents continue.
"The only thing we can do right now is maintain routine, with a heightened state of alert in regards to the situation, but we won't stop living because of this," a community resident told Ynet.
She noted that the holiday celebrations would be held as planned, in accordance with the security situation. "We know how to manage the Qassams. We don't get alerts about the mortar shells, but we are prepared to maintain our routine life, including the holiday parties."
On Thursday night, Israel Air Force planes struck a series of targets in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources reported of several people injured.
The army confirmed operations in Gaza late Thursday, saying that IDF aircraft operating in cooperation with the Shin Bet security service struck terror targets in the northern Gaza Strip as well as a smuggling tunnel in southern Gaza. The targets were hit accurately, the army said.
The targets hit by Israel included the Ansar compound in Gaza City, home to Hamas headquarters and government offices, Palestinian sources said.
The IDF said the attacks were a response to rocket and mortar attacks on southern Israel in the last two days.
Two rockets landed in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council in the evening hours, without causing any injuries. Earlier in the day, a rocket exploded within the Sdot Negev Regional Council.
The Hamas government clarified recently that it would do all in its power to thwart the firing of rockets from the Strip. According to reports, several Islamic Jihad men were arrested and injured while planning to launch rockets into Israel.
http://bit.ly/aYcoNX 19 jan 2012, 21:00 , Respect -
Maria 11 sept 2010
Abu Ali Brigades: Projectiles fired toward Israel
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Following reports from civilians of a series of explosions in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday evening, the Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades announced the launch of six projectiles toward Israel.
The armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said in a statement that at 10:25m p.m., fighters launched a series of projectiles toward the Israeli kibbutz Yad Mordechai, 10 kilometers south of the city of Ashkelon.
No reports of projectile fire were made in the Israeli media, and a military spokeswoman said soldiers reported light fire coming from Palestinain militants in the northern Gaza Strip at 10:30. She said troops returned fire, adding "no hit was identified."
Over the previous three days, four projectile launches were reported by the Israeli military and media, though none were claimed by Palestinain resistance groups in Gaza.
The latest claim, for an attack not confirmed by Israeli media, was accompanied by the statement that "brigades will continue to oppose the Israeli occupation, and will resist to the end to defend our nation."
In what it said was a response to Gaza projectile fire, Israeli air planes targeted three sites in Gaza City and two smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza, destroying several buildings with at least six shells. According to the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, five Hamas affiliates were injured in the attack.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=314410 19 jan 2012, 21:00 , Respect -
Maria 12 sept 2010
2 Qassams explode in south, no injuries
One rocket lands near orchard belonging to kibbutz in Shaar Hanegev Regional Council.
Explosions terrified communities in Shaar Hanegev Regional Council early Sunday morning as two Qassam rockets fired from Gaza exploded in the area.
No injuries or damage were reported. Residents say the rocket alert did not go off before the rockets, one of which was found near an orchard belonging to a kibbutz, landed.
Rosh Hashana and the Saturday that followed were not quiet for residents of the south. Four Qassam rockets exploded in the Negev over the weekend, and on Wednesday a mortar shell fell near a kindergarten in the area.
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to attend another round of peace talks in Sharm El-Sheikh Tuesday.
Sources say Netanyahu will demand of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that as soon as an agreement is reached on the borders of two future states, his people will cease their demands for Israeli land.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3952681,00.html
Report: 2 projectiles land in western Negev
TEL AVIV (Ma'an/Agencies) -- Two projectiles reportedly landed in the western Negev on Sunday, officials from the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council told Israeli daily news site Ynet.
The report said projectiles landed near an orchard, while the second had not been located by police. No injuries were reported.
While the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, claimed to have launched six mortars toward Israel on Saturday - a report that was not corroborated with Israeli military spokeswomen, who said a light exchange of fire took place - no faction had claimed the Sunday launch be 11:30 a.m.
Six airstrikes hit Gaza on Friday, the first day of Eid Al-Fitr, destroying three municipal buildings in Gaza City, and two smuggling tunnels in the southern Strip at Rafah city.
At the time, Israeli military spokespeople said the strikes were in retaliation for projectiles that media had reported landing in Israel, though no Palestinian faction in Gaza claimed the launches.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=314488
Rocket from Gaza hits southern Israel
A rocket fired by Palestinian militants in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip struck Israel today without causing any casualties or damage, the military said.
At least seven rockets or mortar rounds have hit Israel in the past week, and on Friday Israel launched a series of reprisal air raids, mostly targeting smuggling tunnels, that wounded two members of the Hamas security forces.
The number of rocket attacks on Israel declined sharply following its massive 22-day Gaza offensive in December 2008 and January 2009, and Hamas has taken steps to rein in the attacks, believed to be the work of rival factions.
However since the start of 2010, militants have fired more than 100 rockets or mortar rounds into southern Israel, according to the military.
http://bit.ly/ai6Jfs