- 13 sept 2010
2 rockets land in western Negev; none injured
Color Red alert sounds throughout Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council just seconds before explosions rock the area.
Residents of the western Negev woke up to yet another day of rocker fire Monday, as the Color Red alert sounded in Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council in the early hours of the morning.
Two explosions soon followed, as two rockets landed in the council's open areas. No injuries or damage were reported.
The rockets landed in a relatively remote area of the council, unaccustomed to rocket fire. Security forces are canvassing the area in search of the rockets, but have yet to locate them.
Monday morning's rocket fire followed a similar rude awakening the area's residents received on Sunday, as two rockets were fired from northern Gaza at Israel's south.
Still, the Color Red system failed to operate Sunday. Luckily, those rockets landed in open areas as well, causing no harm.
Sunday noon saw IDF forces clash with Palestinian militants in the northern Gaza Strip. The clash left three Palestinians dead, included an elderly shepherd and his grandson.
A spokesman for one of the Palestinian organizations told Ynet that the IDF used artillery fire on armed men approaching the security fence. One of the shells apparently hit a Palestinian house. None injuries were reported among IDF soldiers.
Several hours prior to the clash saw Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin warn of an foreseeable increase in terror activity, parallel to any progress made in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3953138,00.html
10th rocket hits southern Israel since Rosh Hashana began
No injuries in apparent Kassam attack from Gaza; Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council communities to submit petition to High Court requesting more fortified structures, "Iron Dome" missile defense system coverage.
A rocket fired into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip exploded in the area of the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council early Monday morning. Security forces were searching for the remains of the rocket, but believed that it was a Kassam-type missile. No injuries or damage were reported in the attack.
The firing of the rocket was the tenth such attack on the area since Rosh Hashana began last Wednesday.
The communities of the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council have been the repeated target of rocket attacks from Gaza and the area contains very few fortified structures. Army Radio reported on Monday that municipal authorities in the area were preparing to submit a petiton to the High Court of Justice, asking the state to find an immediate solution to rocket attacks for the communities within 4.5 kilometers of the Gaza border.
Community leaders criticized the fact that the "Iron Dome" missle defense system is not currently planned to operate in their area. This leaves a number of communities to the north and east of the Gaza border vulnerable to further rocket attacks.
According to the report, the petiton was scheduled to be submitted some time after the High Holy Days.
Although no injuries have been reported in the latest slew of attacks, a mortar shell landed near several childrens' school buildings on Wednesday in a Sha'ar Hanegev regional council kibbutz, some 30 minutes prior to the students' scheduled arrival.
One of the buildings sustained light damage. The school building impacted by the mortar was reinforced only at the roof and not at the side walls, like other protected buildings in the area.
Security officials decided to let school continue as usual.
Overnight Thursday, the Israeli Air Force struck several Gaza terror-related targets in response to Kassam and mortar attacks.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=187904
Shin Bet says Hamas to resume attacks
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Hamas has instructed its military wing to resume terrorist attacks to try to foil the peace talks between Israel and the PLO, a top Israeli security official said Sunday.
The head of the Shin Bet security service, Yuval Diskin, told the Israeli cabinet that terrorism has decreased in the West Bank in the past three years, but this era was coming to a close, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
"In the coming period, the terror threat will increase in step with developments in the peace process," Diskin said.
Hamas claimed responsibility for several attacks in the opening hours of peace negotiations in Washington that began 2 September, including a deadly shooting that targeted Israeli civilians near the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement in the Hebron district.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=314663
Hamas presents: 'Liberation of TA'
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(Video) Group operatives from Gaza, West Bank create video depicting 'liberation' of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Channel 2's news desk
A new Hamas video clip has the Arab internet all a frenzy: It depicts the "battle to free Palestine" and includes fire on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and changes to Channel 2's news anchors.
The video, which is particularly popular in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, was created by two Hamas operatives from Gaza and the West Bank.
It shows a graphic simulation of the burning down of the High Court of Justice and the Bank of Israel buildings in Jerusalem, and cars with Palestinian flags driving across Ayalon Highway.
At the pinnacle moment of the video, the opening credits to Channel 2's nightly news edition appear, but anchorwoman Yonit Levy's place is taken by a Palestinian anchorman, depicted getting ready for the news broadcast declaring the "liberation of Tel Aviv and Palestine."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3953458,00.html 19 jan 2012, 21:01 , Respect -
Al-Qassam leader: We're committed to resistance
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A senior commander of Hamas' armed wing the Al-Qassam Brigades vowed Tuesday to "continue the path of resistance against the occupation until victory."
"With the power of faith, weapons and missiles, tunnels and commandos we will achieve victory for Palestine and we'll end the occupation in Gaza too," Ahmed Al-Jabari said.
Denouncing the latest round of direct negotiations hosted by Egypt, Al-Jabari said in a statement published on the Al-Qassam website that Israel should "only be treated with weapons and battle."
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has accused Hamas of carrying out two deadly shooting attacks in the West Bank, in which four Israeli settlers were killed, in a bid to stay the progress of negotiations.
"What happened tonight in Hebron was timed to coincide with the PLO's efforts toward conducting credible negotiations to end the occupation and achieve freedom and independence for our people," Fayyad said.
The Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for that attack and another near Ramallah.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=314928 19 jan 2012, 21:01 , Respect -
Rocket and mortar fire from Gaza continue amidst talks
2 missiles, 2 mortar shells fall on southern Israel following clash between IDF and terrorists on border. Increased terror activity comes after Hamas statement promising a wave of violence to derail peace talks.
Two mortar shells and two rockets were fired into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Wednesday morning in what would appear to be Hamas's attempts to fulfill threats made by the group on Tuesday promising a wave of violence meant to derail Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Two mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip into the Eshkol Regional Council area in southern Israel on Wednesday morning. No injuries or damage were reported in the attack.
Two rockets were fired from Gaza several hours before the mortar attacks. A Kassam-type rocket exploded south of Ashkelon, causing no injuries or damage. Israeli security forces were searching for the location of the second rocket.
On Tuesday, one Palestinian was killed and at least four were wounded after the IDF returned fire in response to a terrorist attack in the northern Gaza Strip.
The IDF said that a force operating near the fence came under anti-tank fire and responded with tank shells and light gunfire. One of the terrorists was killed and four others were wounded.
Ahmed Jaabari, leader of Hamas military wing, issued a rare statement threatening a wave of violence intended to derail the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace talks on Tuesday.
On Sunday, three Palestinians were killed after one of them picked up an RPG found in a field near the security fence and aimed it at nearby IDF troops. Two of those killed a 91-yearold man and his grandson %u2013 were later identified by the IDF as innocent civilians who were not involved in terrorist activity.
Rocket attacks from Gaza have increased since before the Rosh Hashana holiday. Predictions in the defense establishment are that Hamas will continue to carry out attacks against Israel as the peace talks progress.
Commander of the Gaza Division Brig.-Gen. Eyal Eisenberg said that the IDF held Hamas responsible.
The Gaza Strip is controlled by Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, he said. Hamas is in control of the territory and we hold it responsible for what happens in the Strip.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=188145
Report: Rocket explodes in Ashkelon, Eshkol & Mi'ilya village
Forces search for Qassam said to have landed in city after blasts heard at 1 am; mortar shells also fired.
Security forces were searching Wednesday morning for a Qassam rocket that apparently exploded Tuesday night in Ashkelon's southern industrial zone, the IDF announced.
It was the first time in over a month that Gaza's terrorists had fired towards the city.
Later, two mortar shells exploded in Eshkol Regional Council. In both cases neither injuries nor damage were reported.
At around 1 am residents of Ashkelon heard blasts, and reported them to Ynet using the 'red mail' system. A short while later security forces said terrorists had fired rockets from Gaza, but that the alert had not been sounded.
The rocket was said to have landed in Ashkelon's southern industrial zone, but no reports of injury or damage were made. Security forces have not yet located the rocket's remains.
The rocket and mortar attacks are the latest developments in an escalation of violence towards Israel since the direct peace talks with the Palestinian Authority began.
On Tuesday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat down with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Sharm el-Sheikh, terrorists fired an RPG missile at soldiers stationed on the border with Gaza.
The soldiers remained uninjured and returned fire towards the source. The Palestinians later reported one dead and four wounded. The attackers belonged to a group identified with al-Qaeda.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3954408,00.html
2 mortar shells hit Eshkol Regional Council; no injuries
Palestinians fired two mortar shells from the Gaza Strip which landed in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
On Tuesday night a rocket exploded in Ashkelon's southern industrial area. Police are looking into a report of another rocket explosion south of Ashdod.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3954405,00.html
Explosive charge hurled at house in Mi'ilya village
A makeshift explosive charge was hurled at a home in the village of Mi'ilya in the western Galilee. No injuries were reported, however damage was caused to the premises. Police have launched an investigation.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3954406,00.html
Gaza attacks: Phosphorus bombs hit Israel
Police confirm that two mortar shells fired Wednesday into Eshkol Regional Council were phosphorus bombs, say not the first time; southern Israel residents face rocket, mortar barrages, Air Force bombs Gaza targets, kills one Palestinian.
At least two of the nine mortar shells fired Wednesday into Eshkol Regional Council were phosphorus bombs, police confirmed after initially declining the corroborate a claim made by the area's security officer.
Police sappers examined and identified the two phosphorus bombs. According to police, such bombs do not cause any more damage than a standard mortar shell.
Eshkol Regional Council's security officer, Miki Levy, claimed that such munitions have never been used by the Palestinians, but the police said that this is not the first time phosphorus bombs have been fired from Gaza.
Southern Israel communities have been under fire since Wednesday morning, as Gaza terrorists have stepped up their rocket and mortar attacks at Negev residents.
Security forces were searching Wednesday morning for a Qassam rocket that apparently exploded Tuesday night in Ashkelon's southern industrial zone, the IDF announced.
It was the first time in over a month that Gaza's terrorists fired at the city.
By midday Wednesday, the Air Force responded by bombing the Gaza Strip; at least one person was killed and two others were wounded in a southern Gaza strike near Rafah, Palestinian sources said.
The IDF reportedly targeted Palestinian smuggling tunnels, killing a Palestinian who worked in the tunnel, AP reported. He was later identified as 21-year-old Wajdi al-Qadi from Rafah.
Early Wednesday morning, two mortar shells exploded in Eshkol Regional Council. Another blast was heard in the same area around noon, believed to be the result of another mortar shell. Later, three more mortar shells exploded in the Negev.
No injuries or damage were reported in the attacks.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3954896,00.html
Report: Projectile lands near Ashkelon
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an/Agencies) -- The Israeli military told media outlets Wednesday morning that a projectile launched from Gaza landed near the Israeli city of Ashkelon before midnight, and two shells were later fired toward the western Negev.
As of Wednesday morning,reports said, Israeli police had been unable to find the projectile. Israeli daily news site Ynet quoted military sources as saying that it landed in an industrial area on the edge of the city.
No alarm system sounded in the city ahead of the projectile landing, and no Palestinian faction in Gaza had claimed the launch as of press time.
Reports said was the first time in over a month that projectiles had been launched toward Ashkelon, while the western Negev has been the target for an increasing number of launches following several months of calm.
On Tuesday, as Israeli and Palestinian leaders discussed a peace agreement in Egypt's resort town of Sharm Ash-Sheikh, Israeli sources reported the launch of an RPG toward soldiers operating in Gaza. The soldiers said they returned fire, injuring two, while later reports said one was killed and four injured.
On Sunday, Israeli shelling left dead three shepherds in northern Gaza on Sunday. Two of the victims were identified as Ibrahim Abu Said, 91, and his grandson Ismail Abu Odeh, 21.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=315045
(4:13) Hamas the Freedom fighters
(4:55) HAMAS (Al Qassam Brigade) -- The Endless Struggle 19 jan 2012, 21:01 , Respect -
Hamas: Israeli media reports attempt to justify attacks
GAZA, - Hamas denied that it launched phosphorous missiles at the west Negev region, calling statements in that regard a media fabrication and apparent attempt to justify Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has accused Abbas of conspiring with Israel to distract Palestinians from peace talks developments.
The Zionist enemy has consistently fabricated events and made claims to justify massacres against the Palestinian people, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a press statement on Thursday.
The phosphorus missiles allegedly fired are fabricated Israeli media claims to justify attacking Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, he added.
Touching on the talk about military buildup around the Gaza Strip, Barhoum said: The buildup confirms that the Zionist enemy is the one who always attends to target, escalate, and launch attacks, and confirms that there are prior intentions for this targeting, and the buildup confirms also that what is said about the phosphorous missiles are Israeli claims to justify such escalations.
Israeli media sources have pointed the finger at Hamas for an alleged phosphorous bombing against the west Negev area.
http://bit.ly/aVNLZc
Hamas denies Israel's claims about firing phosphorous shells at Negev region
GAZA, The Hamas Movement categorically denied Israeli claims about firing phosphorus shells or any rockets at Negev region, warning that Israel fabricates such lies in order to justify a new military action against the Gaza Strip.
"The occupation is looking for further reasons to justify its expected escalation against the Gaza Strip and thus it spreads allegations about firing shells at its territory," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told the Palestinian information center (PIC) on Wednesday.
Spokesman Abu Zuhri appealed to the international community to intervene to stop Israel's aggressive intentions against Gaza and held it responsible for any repercussions.
He also accused Israel of making these lies in order to justify its use of phosphorus bombs during its war on Gaza.
The Israeli police claimed that Hamas on Wednesday fired 10 rockets and mortar shells on Israeli targets including two phosphorous projectiles in Negev area, while Israeli minister of environment Gilad Erdan threatened that Israel would launch a massive military operation against Gaza if the rocket attacks continued.
For his part, head of the regional council Eshkol Haim said he would send an urgent letter to the UN secretary-general to complain about Hamas and its firing of alleged phosphorous shells at residential areas in the western side of Negev.
In another context, senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan stated on Wednesday on the 28th anniversary of Sabra and Shatila massacre that his Movement would remain adherent to the option of resistance until the liberation of Palestine.
Radwan also criticized the Palestinian negotiator for ignoring the Sabra and Shatila massacre and all Israel's crimes against the Palestinian people since its occupation of Palestine and persisting in his peace talks with the "criminals".
He stressed that the blood of Sabra and Shatila victims would remain a curse haunting all those who collaborated with the Israeli occupation.
http://bit.ly/9fXdmM
Israel: Hamas fired phosphorous to harm peace
Letter sent to UN chief asks him to condemn rocket attacks that 'deliberately targeted civilians in south'.
WASHINGTON Israel's new ambassador to the UN, Meron Reuben, sent a letter of complaint to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon regarding the white phosphorous rockets launched from Gaza Wednesday. The letter was also sent to the current Security Council President Ertu Frul Apakan.
"I write to you yet again regarding another series of serious incidents in southern Israel as a result of ongoing attacks from the Gaza Strip that is controlled by the Hamas terrorist organization," the letter says.
"Since Monday, 13 September 2010, Hamas terrorists launched 14 rockets and mortars from in the Gaza Strip that sought to terrorize the civilian populations in Ashkelon, as well as the Eshkol region to the south."
The ambassador added that "some of these attacks that deliberately targeted civilians contained white phosphorous, a fact publicly acknowledged by Palestinian statements in the media".
In the letter, Reuben accuses Hamas of firing the rockets in order to disrupt the direct peace talks with the Palestinians. "In a concerted effort to derail peace talks, Hamas and other radical organizations have engaged in this deadly violence," it says.
"Such terrorism coupled with Hamas total rejection of any negotiated settlement reinforces Israel's decision to exercise its right of self-defense against Hamas and all other groups that threaten and endanger Israeli citizens."
Reuben concludes by asking the UN to condemn the rocket attacks from Gaza.
During Operation Cast Lead Israel was severely criticized for using phosphorous in its tank shells. However, Israel claims that the phosphorous was used in keeping with international law, which allows its use in unpopulated areas.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3955467,00.html 19 jan 2012, 21:01 , Respect -
Hamas vows vengeance over Shilbayeh killing
Hamas military spokesman in Gaza, Abu Obeida, confirmed Iyad abu Shilbayeh, who was killed by IDF forces overnight killed was a member of the group's armed wing: "The blood of our martyr will be a curse that will follow the occupation and the traitors," he said.
The word traitors referred to Hamas' rivals in the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which has ruled only the West Bank since losing control of the other Palestinian territory, the Gaza Strip, to Hamas militants in 2007.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3955627,00.html
IDF kills Hamas West Bank military strongman amid rising tensions
Incident comes as Shin Bet issues warning according to which the Islamist organization issued 'an organizational directive' to foil recently restarted peace talks.
The Israel Defense Forces killed a Hamas military commander in the West Bank, Israel Radio reported on Friday, in the latest of recent violent clashes between Israel and the Islamist organization.
Hamas has declared its objection to the recent relaunch of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, saying that Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas does not represent the Palestinian people and is not authorized to negotiate on its behalf.
Speaking to the cabinet earlier this week, Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin said that Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip and which is believed to have operatives working in the PA-ruled West Bank, has issued "an organizational directive to foil the talks."
According to the IDF, an Israeli army unit had been conducting a raid for wanted Palestiniains in a village east of Tul Karm, when one of the wanted men, named by Israel Radio as Hamas West Bank strongman Iyad Shilbayeh, began "running suspiciously toward the [IDF] force, refusing to heed the soldiers' request to stop."
"The unit, feeling threatened, opened fire, killing the suspected," the IDF Spokesman's office said, adding that "the incident was being investigated."
In an escalation of tensions on Wednesday, militants fired two phosphorous mortar shells into Israel from the Hamas-ruled Strip. A total of nine mortar shells were fired on Wednesday, all falling in fields in the Eshkol Regional Council, causing no casualties or damage.
Israel responded by sending jets to bomb a smuggling tunnel in the Philadelphi Route. Palestinian sources said one person was killed and two injured in the attack.
http://bit.ly/cb0g2j
Israeli soldiers kill Hamas member
Israeli troops have assassinated a member of Hamas resistance movement in the occupied West Bank, medical officials say.
Reports said that Iyad Shalabiya was shot dead while he was asleep.
The Israeli military claimed that the Palestinian was a Hamas military commander, Haaretz reported on Friday.
The incident took place in a village east of Tulkarm, the Israeli army said.
At least 10 Hamas members were also arrested during the midnight operation.
Friday's death followed an earlier attack by Israeli warplanes, which killed at least one Palestinian and wounded three others in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
The constant Israeli incursions into occupied Palestinian territories come as the Palestinian Authority and Israel ended the latest round of direct talks without progress on Wednesday.
http://www.presstv.com/section/3510202.html 19 jan 2012, 21:01 , Respect -
Explosion north of Nablus injures 1
NABLUS (Ma'an) -- A small explosion rocked an open field on the outskirts of Nablus on Friday afternoon, injuring a young cow herder, who was transferred to hospital with burns on his face and limbs.
Police officials said the boy, who was not identified, was seriously injured, and had sustained burns on his eyes which could cause blindness.
A report from police said the explosion was caused by a "suspicious object," which detonated under the young man as he passed with his cattle.
Sapper units collected the debris from the device, police said in a report, and combed the area for other potential hazards, and found none.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=315826
Abu Obeida: Murder of Shelbaya won't pass without punishment
GAZA, (PIC)-- Abu Obeida, the official spokesman of the Qassam Brigades the armed wing of Hamas, has affirmed that the Israeli murder of Qassam commander Iyad Shelbaya in Tulkarem won't pass without punishment.
He said in a press statement on Saturday that the crime has unmasked the real image of occupation and that it does not respect agreements or negotiations.
The spokesman added that his armed wing gets stronger after each assassination crime, vowing to avenge the cold-blooded killing of Shelbaya.
Abu Obeida said that security coordination between the Fatah-controlled authority in Ramallah and the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) had led to many assassination operations.
Shelbaya was killed at dawn Friday by IOF soldiers who stormed his home and fired at him from close range.
http://bit.ly/a7UTXj
Massive crowds in Shelbaiya's funeral despite tyrannies of PA
TULKAREM, (PIC)-- Despite the repressive acts of the Palestinian Authority and its security apparatuses in the West Bank, more than 15,000 Palestinian citizens and supporters of Hamas marched, after Friday prayers, in the funeral procession of slain Qassam leader Iyad Shelbaiya in Tulkarem city.
The procession turned into a massive angry protest against the PA's security cooperation with the Israeli occupation and could be described as the largest ever in three years because of the ban imposed in the West Bank by the PA on anti-Israel protests in general and Hamas activities in particular.
The angry crowds also chanted slogans in support of Hamas and urging its armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades to avenge the murder of Shelbaiya, the reporter of the Palestinian information center (PIC) said.
The PIC reporter added that the body of martyr Shelbaiya was taken from the hospital of Dr. Thabet to his home in Nur Shams refugee camp before taking him to Abu Bakr Al-Sediq Mosque for funeral prayers that were held after Friday Khutba (sermon).
More than 10,000 citizens at first attended the sermon before about 5,000 others coming from nearby West Bank areas flocked into the mosque to take part in the march, according to the reporter.
Palestinian lawmaker Fathi Al-Qaraawi in a speech ahead of the Friday sermon called on Fatah's authority to stop immediately its security cooperation and direct talks with the Israeli occupation.
Later, preacher Shukri Awad highlighted in his sermon the importance of resisting the occupation as well as the religious ruling against those who conspire against the resistance fighters.
http://bit.ly/a43V6d
Gaza govt: PA, Israel colluded in assassination
GAZA CITY (Ma%u2019an) -- Palestinain Authority Security Forces detained slain Hamas leader Iyad Shelbaya seven times in the past two years, Gaza government spokesman Taher An-Nunu said Saturday.
The repeated detentions, which followed an 11-month period in Israeli prison starting in 2003, An-Nunu said, was akin to collaboration with Israel on the part of PA security.
On Friday morning in the northern West Bank governorate of Tulkarem, the 38-year-old Shelbaya was killed in his Nur Shams refugee camp home by three gunshot wounds to the neck and chest.
Witnesses said Israeli forces detonated the door to his home, entered and shot him, while Israeli military officials said the man ran toward Israeli soldiers who shot at him because they felt threatened.
An-Nunu accused the ruling West Bank party Fatah, of providing Israel with a "cover" for the killing, which Israeli military officials said Friday was under investigation.
On Friday, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum condemned the assassination, saying it was carried out under the cover of peace talks.
The Hamas official said that the incident was particularly gruesome because it came as Fatah officials were sitting down for peace talks with Israeli leaders.
The spokesman called on Arab states to remove their backing from the peace talks, which US negotiators recently said were aimed at reaching a regional peace deal that included Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan.
From the start of talks, Hamas officials opposed negotiations between President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu. As negotiations began, fighters who claimed to be affiliated with the movement fired on the cars of Israeli settlers driving in the West Bank, killing four and injuring two.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=315796
Bahar: Assassination of Shelbaya fruit of Abbas-Netanyahu talks
GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Ahmed Bahar, the first deputy speaker of the Palestinian legislative council, has charged that the Israeli assassination of Qassam commander Iyad Shelbaya was a fruit of the direct talks between de facto Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu.
He said in a statement on Saturday evening that the crime was a natural result of the "malicious" security coordination between Abbas's authority and the Israeli occupation authority.
Bahar noted in this regard that Abbas's security had facilitated the entry of Israeli occupation forces into Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem to commit the crime.
He hailed the Palestinian masses that took part in Shelbaya's funeral, which, he said, proved the Palestinian people's backing to resistance.
http://bit.ly/8XXQhm 19 jan 2012, 21:01 , Respect -
Gaza faction says projectiles launched on Israeli force
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades said fighters launched three projectiles from east of Rafah toward Israeli targets in the western Negev on Saturday morning.
The militant unit, part of the Popular Resistance Committees in Gaza, said the projectiles were launched toward Israeli forces operating in the area.
A statement from the group said no injuries were identified.
The launch, which could not be confirmed with Israeli military officials or news sites, which were shut down for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, was the second claimed in two weeks.
Almost a dozen other projectile launches reported by the Israeli military have not been claimed by Gaza factions.
Israeli forces have launched three separate rounds of airstrikes targeting what officials said were weapons smuggling tunnels and Hamas training facilities.
Egyptian security discovered a cache of sugar prepared for transport through a tunnel they said was destroyed during the most recent Israeli airstrike.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=315748
Group tries to strike Israel from Sinai
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Egyptian security are closely monitoring its border with Gaza after receiving information that a group of Palestinian militants were attempting to infiltrate Egypt's Sinai to launch several projectiles toward Israel, an Egyptian security source said.
The source said reports received by security forces were conflicting, with one suggesting the group had already smuggled the projectiles into Egypt while another said militants were expected to plant the projectile "in the near future."
Security forces are combing the northern and southern Sinai for the militants, the source added.
Another security source told Ma'an, however, that Egyptian security was still attempting to verify the veracity of the reports.
The report follows Egypt's announcement on Saturday that it had declared a state of emergency along its borders, after receiving reports that Gaza militants were attempting to infiltrate Egypt through the tunnel complex.
In August, five projectiles were launched toward the Israeli coastal city of Eilat, also landing in the neighboring Jordanian town of Aqaba, killing one Jordanian national.
At the time, Israel said it believed the rockets were launched from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, a claim which Cairo has denied.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=316035 19 jan 2012, 21:01 , Respect -
Brigade says fighters shelled Israeli jeeps in Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The military wing affiliated with the Resistance Committee said its combatants shelled a force of Israeli jeeps east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip overnight, a statement issued Monday read.
The An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades said its artillery unit fired three mortar shells towards the Israeli force and said the attack was "a natural response to Israeli attacks and raids in Gaza."
A spokeswoman for the Israeli army could not confirm if a force was fired on but said a shell landed in the Eshkol Regional Council overnight.
Meanwhile, Egyptian security has been closely monitoring the border since Sunday after receiving information that a group of Palestinian militants were attempting to infiltrate Egypt's Sinai to launch several projectiles toward Israel, an Egyptian security source said.
The source said that, while the reports were conflicting, forces were searching the northern and southern Sinai peninsula for the suspects.
A day earlier, Egypt declared a state of emergency along its border with Gaza.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=316219 19 jan 2012, 21:01 , Respect -
Qassam fired from Gaza following Netanyahu visit
Several hours after Netanyahu toured Gaza vicinity communities, Hamas fires rocket at Israel, which explodes on Palestinian side of fence. No injuries or damage reported.
Rocket fire from Gaza continues. Just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas and armed militants in Gaza on Tuesday about continuing fire, they reacted by firing a Qassam rocket, which exploded in Palestinian territory and caused no damage or injuries.
Residents of one of the nearby kibbutzim in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council immediately reported of a loud explosion heard in the area, however a Color Red Alert was not activated. Security forces who investigated the source of the explosion concluded it was a Qassam rocket that had landed on the Palestinian side of the fence.
Earlier on Tuesday, the prime minister toured Ashkelon and Sderot. During his visit, Netanyahu issued a warning to Hamas about firing at Israel. "Our commitment is first and foremost to security and I advise Hamas and other organizations not to test our resolve to react with fire," Netanyahu said in Ashkelon, where he was presented with missile particles launched at the city.
During his visit in the south, Netanyahu stated that his warnings have reduced the number of missiles launched from Gaza. "I have determined that rocket fire warrants an immediate response, and this has reduced the fire. We responded to recent shooting by hitting Hamas targets, including a senior Hamas official. We will continue with this policy."
http://fwd4.me/0iV3 19 jan 2012, 21:02 , Respect -
'Hamas will be held accountable,' Ashkenazi tells 'Post'
IDF Chief of General Staff says Israel won't allow Hamas to return to attack Israel the way it did before Operation Cast Lead, "take all of the necessary steps" to prevent rocket attacks.
(1:25) Israel Confirms Hamas Fired NO Rockets! Must See! 14 x viewed
Hamas will pay a price if it fires rockets into Eilat from the Sinai Peninsula, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said on Tuesday in a rare warning to the Palestinian terror organization.
Speaking to The Jerusalem Post on the sidelines of a Paratrooper¹s Brigade exercise in southern Israel, Ashkenazi said that Israel and the Egyptians were both closely tracking developments in the Sinai in an effort to prevent the firing of rockets into Eilat. In August, Hamas fired two rockets which landed in Eilat.
The brigade-level exercise, held at the Tze'elim Training Base in the Negev, was the Paratroopers Brigade's third such exercise over the past year. On average, Ashkenazi said that the IDF held 20 such brigade-level exercises a year.
We are familiar with the Sinai threat and the Egyptians are also concerned with this possibility, Ashkenazi told the Post and two other reporters who accompanied him during his visit to the exercise. It is clear to us that Hamas does this and Hamas will be held accountable. The possibility exists and we are watching it.
He also said that Israel will not allow Hamas to return to attack Israel the way it did before Operation Cast Lead in late 2008.
When we look at the past year in general the security situation around the Gaza Strip is completely different and we will not allow Gaza to return to the reality that was there before Cast Lead, he said. We will take all of the necessary steps to prevent rocket attacks and an escalation in the situation.
Referring to the increase in training throughout the military, Ashkenazi warned of the possibility that the IDF will need to fight on several different fronts at once including the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria.
There is a connection between fronts like Hizbullah and Hamas, Ashkenazi said. There is also a connection between Hizbullah and Syria which exists but might not erupt.
There could be a situation, he said, that a brigade like the Paratroopers will be transferred from one front to another during a future large conflict. This is why we build a large and strong army, he said.
Moving to the sale of Russian surface-to-sea cruise missiles to Syria, Ashkenazi said that Israel was concerned by the deal but said that the IDF would be able to deal with the challenge. Russia has reportedly already begun selling Yakhont cruise missiles to Syria in a deal valued at $300 million. Israel is concerned that Syria will transfer the missile to Hizbullah which could use it to threaten Israeli Navy ships that patrol the Lebanese coast.
We have been following the deal for a long time. There were attempts by the highest political levels to thwart the deal but they did not succeed, he said. This is a negative development and we will know how to deal with it.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=188823 19 jan 2012, 21:02 , Respect -
Hamas: Gaza will resist
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The spokesman for Hamas' military wing the Al-Qassam Brigades said Friday that any attack on Gaza will be met with strong resistance.
Abu Obeida's comments followed remarks made by Israel army commander Eyal Eisenberg, who warned that the next war on Gaza would be a "more painful, complex, and powerful round" in an interview with the Israeli news site Ynet.
The Al-Qassam Brigades official said Israel was preparing international public opinion for another offensive on the Strip, "as if Operation Cast Lead was not bloody." The December 2008 war left 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israeli dead.
Eisenberg, who lead the war, was reprimanded by Israel's military advocate general for exceeding his authority "in a manner that jeopardised the lives of others" in an attack during the offensive in which a heavily-populated area in Tel Al-Hawa was shelled. Jurist Richard Goldstone, in his UN-mandated investigation, found that three high-explosive shells and seven white phosphorus artillery shells were fired at a UN compound during the attack.
The commander told Ynet "We have the capability to deal a serious blow to Hamas. We have many tools, and they are all legitimate, even targeting senior officials. And we should not hesitate to use these tools."
Abu Obeida said Israeli used these threats as psychological warfare, but insisted that Eisenberg's statements did not frighten anyone or confuse the resistance. He added that Israeli actions suggested it was preparing to launch another war on the Strip.
Israeli claims that projectiles fired from Gaza contained phosphorous were attempts to justify aggression against the coastal enclave, the spokesman said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=317695 19 jan 2012, 21:02 , Respect -
Qassam rocket explodes in PA territory
The Color Red alert system was activated in one of the communities of the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council. An inquiry revealed that a Qassam rocket was fired from the northern Gaza Strip at around 6 am and exploded on Palestinian territory.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3959305,00.html 19 jan 2012, 21:02 , Respect -
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QB: We are ready to confront any Israeli aggression
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, declared readiness to confront any possible Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip in light of growing threats.
Abu Obaida, the armed wing's spokesman, said in a press release on Saturday that the Israeli threats were preparing the world public opinion for such an aggression.
He said that political and field developments on the ground point to Israeli preparations to start a new war on Gaza.
The spokesman pointed to the Israeli occupation forces' recent training and replacement of commanders of military units and the deployment along the borders of Gaza as indication to Israeli preparation for a new offensive.
Abu Obaida belied Israeli claims that the resistance factions in Gaza were using phosphorus material in their rockets, adding that the IOF was trying to exaggerate the resistance's potentials and justify a new aggression.
In that same context, an Israeli website said that Hamas was planning for a new qualitative strike against Israeli targets in the West Bank.
Tik Debka quoted a senior Israeli security source as alleging that Hamas was preparing for a violent attack using means not used before.
http://bit.ly/ddueaW
Under fire again, South braces for more rockets
Most do not inflict casualties and are ignored by the media, but rockets threaten the emotional well-being of Israelis near the Gaza border.
On Tuesday evening, Michal Shaban-Kotzer, spokeswoman for the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, sent a beeper message to journalists alerting them of yet another rocket fired from Gaza.
A few minutes ago, a loud explosion was heard near a kibbutz in the council, the message read. The Color Red rocket siren failed to sound. No casualties or damages.
Since the end of Operation Cast Lead in January 2009, around 500 projectiles rockets and mortar shells have been fired by Palestinian terrorists from Gaza at civilian targets in southern Israel.
As Israel and the Palestinian Authority engage in direct negotiations, rocket launchers in the Hamas quasi-state have increased their attacks.
The vast majority fail to inflict casualties, and are therefore almost completely ignored by the international media.
Nevertheless, for many residents of Sderot and the farming communities of the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, the Eshkol Regional Council, as well as in Ashkelon, the rockets are a terror that threaten their emotional well-being.
Generally, the past year and a half has been relatively quiet, Shaban-Kotzer told The Jerusalem Post. There are always attacks, whether they come in the form of attempted infiltrations by gunmen, rocket fire, small arms fire there is constant hostile activity.
But compared to the era before Cast Lead, she added, things have improved until the recent upsurge.
Our population has grown more than 105 families moved into our regional council since 2009. There are no more empty homes available for rent in the kibbutzim.
There are waiting lists. Our industrial zones are growing, and new factories are being added, she said.
All of this progress is now under threat.
The problem is that the antibiotic [Operation Cast Lead] has apparently passed its sell-by date. We've had 10 rockets since Rosh Hashana, Shaban-Kotzer said.
Dr. Adriana Katz, who heads a Ministry of Health mental health clinic in Sderot, which has been showered with Kassam rockets for almost a decade, said the recent rise in attacks could undo years of work to rehabilitate the town's 4,000 sufferers of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
It was easy for the media to ignore the tremendous amount of psychological damage suffered by residents from years of rocket attacks and shelling, she said.
Blood is easily photographed, but the soul cannot be captured by a camera lens. Mental healing is a complex, long-term process which cannot be guaranteed. It's difficult to describe the damage in words, she said.
The minute we bring a person back to a normative situation, as far as this is possible, something will occur to bring the person back to PTSD.
There are still people who are too frightened to leave their home, there are still youths who cannot leave their parents Katz added.
She recalled how a man selling watermelons wandered Sderot's streets during the summer, shouting red watermelons! The man's shouts reminded people of the Color Red rocket alert, triggering trauma and anxiety among some, and the municipality was asked by the clinic to get the man to stop shouting out during his rounds. If it wasn't so sad, it would be funny, Katz said.
Everything makes us jump. If we see our air force flying overhead, some people will become anxious. If our army shells in retaliation for the rockets, it also makes us jump.
Katz's clinic is desperately understaffed, with four fulltime employees and two parttime volunteers treating 6,500 people. Katz described the situation as scandalous.
David Mandel, a psychiatrist based in Jerusalem, arrives at the clinic in Sderot once a week to volunteer.
What we are dealing with here is complex PTSD a continuing trauma, Mandel said.
This is not like soldiers in war or victims of a terror attack, who deal with one incident. Here it's ongoing. The stresser is not going away.
He often hears patients say that their problems begin after they feel that something gets inside of them.
They say, Once it's inside, it's hard for me to get it out again. Unlike combat soldiers, who are prepared for entering a life-threatening situation, residents of Sderot are going about with their everyday routine when a rocket explodes near them.
Here, they're just living their lives when something comes along that can just take their life away. The sound of a Kassam exploding can shake you up, even if it doesn't hurt anyone, he said.
For children who grow up in Sderot, life under constant rocket threat is the only reality they know, he said. I remember an elementary school teacher saying that she had taken kids on a bus trip to Tel Aviv. The first question they asked when they got off the bus was where the bomb shelters are. For them it's such a basic assumption, Mandel said.
Haim Yalin, head of the Eshkol Regional Council, said his main goal was to ensure that buildings in his jurisdiction receive rocket-proof reinforcement protection. He is preparing to petition the High Court of Justice along with other local authority heads to that end.
Yalin said that the Iron Dome anti-rocket shield, designed to shoot down Kassam rockets, can only effectively protect areas situated at least 7 kilometers from the Gaza Strip. While buildings situated up to 4.5 kilometers from the security fence have rocket-proof protection, structures located between 4.5 and seven kilometers from Gaza cannot benefit from the Iron Dome shield, and lack protective structures, leaving them exposed.
We are facing a Hamas regime which does not recognize us and shells us indiscriminately. The question is, how do you maintain communities in this area? Yalin asked.
Communities here are strong. Residents are connected to their land.
People don't come to live here for cheap real estate. They come for the education and the warm community life. No one is alone here. We are close-knit communities of farmers. But we need government help, he said.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=189250 19 jan 2012, 21:02 , Respect -
Two settlers wounded in third operation in Al-Khalil this month
GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian resistance on Sunday targeted two cars of Israeli settlers south of Mount Al-Khalil, leaving at least two settlers injured.
The attacks were timed to coincide with Israel%u2019s announcement to resume settlement activity in the West Bank Sunday night Sept. 26.
Israeli media said two Israeli settlers, both aging 35 years, were injured after fire was opened at their cars on Sunday night while passing near an Israeli settlement south of Mount Al-Khalil.
Israeli radio said the attack resulted in damage to the cars and the wounded settlers were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Israeli occupation forces (IOF) carried out an extensive sweep of the area in search of the operators.
The PIC reporter said a large force of IOF soldiers was deployed in surrounding areas of Al-Khalil after the settlement was attacked in the operation.
The attack was the third of its kind in the West Bank this month. Four settlers were killed earlier and two wounded in similar operations in Al-Khalil and Ramallah adopted by the Hamas armed wing of the Qassam Brigades.
Hamas praised the operation, stressing that it came in the context of resistance operations against the crimes of Israeli occupation.
Hamas Spokesman Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri told the PIC Sunday that the new Al-Khalil operation came in the context of continued resistance operations against Israel's crimes, particularly the crime of settlement activity, which occurs in light of the cover of continued direct negotiations with the Fatah authority.
The Palestinian leader said the operation proves the failure of security crackdown operations carried out in the West Bank recently.
The PIC correspondent said the Palestinian Authority security militia disappeared from the streets of south A-Khalil shortly after the attack.
IOF troops closed the southern entrances of the town of Al-Dhahiriya along the Teneh settlement, which is the location of the operation, informed sources told the correspondent on Sunday, adding that the Israeli army now has a heavy presence in the area.
The sources expect the IOF soldiers will head out for the Al-Khalil town of Dhahiriya to search for the operators of the attack.
http://bit.ly/8YSSNv
Hamas muscle-flexing sparks Gaza clash with Israeli troops
terrorist group is winding down its missile-mortar offensive against Israel from the Gaza Strip in order to be free to focus on its new terrorist offensive on the West Bank, debkafile's military and counter-terror sources report. The clash Monday, Sept. 27, was sparked when a Hamas' special forces unit tried to wrest the 500-meter deep buffer zone inside the Gaza Strip from IDF control.
The Hamas unit was established recently to curb Palestinian missile, mortar and firearms fire against Israel (200 were fired in the last two months). However, Hamas leaders demanded through European and Egyptian go-betweens that Israel troops remove themselves from this border strip, stay out and rely on Hamas' special unit to keep the peace.
This demand was rejected by Israeli commanders because a) it would amount to accepting the legitimacy of Hamas' seizure of the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority, and b) because of its underlying motives, as revealed by Egyptian military and intelligence sources:
1. The Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip seek to undermine Israeli military control of the common border area.
2. They want the Gaza sector to stay calm so that they are not distracted from their next objective, which is to subject the West Bank to a massive campaign of terror, following which they plan to sink their teeth into that territory too.
This campaign of violence was launched, as debkafile has reported, for the initial goal of sabotaging the direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks by striking at Israelis and Palestinian Authority targets alike. But Hamas has now decided that the talks are dead and have found the Palestinian Authority chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, willing to bury the hatchet and engage Hamas chiefs for talks in Damascus.
They have therefore narrowed their sights and are focusing exclusively on attacking Israelis. Hamas plans to follow up on its first three attacks on Israeli civilians (the last occurring Sunday night Sept. 26, in which a couple was injured in a drive-by ambush south of Hebron) with a broader offensive.
So, when Hamas troops pushed into the buffer strip along the Gaza-Israeli border Monday, Sept. 27, the IDF pushed back. The clash erupted in an area east of Khan Younis in the southern sector, when Israel forces crossed in to drive them out. No one was hurt.
At the same time Hamas commandos are also forcibly evicting would-be missile and mortar teams from fellow terrorist organizations out of the border zone.
Israel is also acting to cut Hamas down on the West Bank before it is too late. Monday, an Israeli unit detained 5 known terrorists at Salfit, south of Nablus, impounding an MI6 automatic rifle, three pistols and several improvised weapons with a large amount of ammunition and military gear found stashed in their homes.
While Washington, Jerusalem and Ramallah are still trying to resuscitate the collapsed direct negotiations, Hamas is already going full steam ahead with its plans on the assumption that the diplomatic track is over and done with.
http://www.debka.com/article/9047/
Mashaal: We'll continue 'to kill illegal settlers'
Hamas leader says Palestinians will return to "resistance" if int'l community doesn't force Israel back to 1967 borders.
Hamas leader in Damascus Khaled Mashaal said that if the international community does not force Israel to to retreat to the 1967 borders, the Palestinian people's only recourse will be "resistance." Mashaal's comments came in an interview aired on CNN on Monday.
When asked about last months terror attack near Kiryat Arba, in which four Israelis were killed by Hamas gunmen, Mashaal said that Hamas will continue to "kill illegal settlers on our land." He stated that Israeli settlers were the source of the problem and he failed to understand why the international community gets upset when "we defend our people by confronting Israeli killings."
Mashaal compared the Palestinian people's struggles to the American fight against British occupation and the French standing up against Hitler's aggression.
The Hamas leader stated that "five years from now there will be a new conviction around the world" about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He said that the US and the West will realize that "Israel is only a moral burden on their shoulders."
Mashaal's comments came as Israel was criticized internationally on Monday for failing to extend the 10-month moratorium on West Bank settlement construction.
The Palestinians have contended that they would exit peace talks launched earlier this month if Israel failed to extend the moratorium.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday said that he would make a decision on whether or not to leave the talks only after meeting with the Arab League next week.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=189425&R=R3 - 28 sept 2010
3 Jihad members killed in Gaza strike
Medics: Gaza worker shot at northern border
Gaza family narrowly escapes Israeli airstrike 19 jan 2012, 21:02 , Respect -
Maria 29 sept 2010
Medics: Israeli tanks shell Gaza overnight 19 jan 2012, 21:02 , Respect -
Maria 29 sept 2010
Arafat urged attacks when talks faltered: Hamas
The late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat urged Hamas to carry out attacks inside Israel when he felt peace talks had failed, a senior Hamas leader said in remarks published on Wednesday.
"Arafat signalled to the Hamas movement to carry out a number of military operations in the heart of the Jewish state when he felt that the negotiations with the occupation government had failed," Mahmud Zahar said during a meeting with Hamas MPs on Tuesday, according to the Hamas-linked Falasteen newspaper.
He spoke on the 10th anniversary of the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which engulfed the occupied territories months after the collapse of the 2000 Camp David peace talks.
His comments come as renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians again appear to be on the verge of collapse in the face of a dispute over Israeli settlements. Hamas opposes the new talks.
At the height of the uprising in 2002 Palestinian militants launched scores of suicide bombings in Israeli cities as Israel frequently carried out large-scale military incursions across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Arafat had always insisted that the uprising was a spontaneous reaction to the Israeli occupation and that he had no control over Hamas, the long-time rivals of his secular Fatah movement.
He publicly condemned attacks targeting civilians inside Israel, including those carried out by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah.
Arafat died of mysterious causes in a Paris hospital in November 2004 after having been besieged in his headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah for nearly three years.
His successor, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, always opposed the militarisation of the uprising and moved to end it when he assumed power.
An Israeli-Palestinian summit in February 2005 was widely seen as signalling the end of the uprising, although the violence continued. Some 4,700 people had been killed by then, around 80 percent of them Palestinians.
http://yhoo.it/aSK61j
Demonstrator Shot with Banned 0.22 Live Bullet