Escalation in Gaza
A barrage of 50 rockets hit the southern Negev of Israel on Wednesday, killing a 43-year father of four, Ron Yihye, who was a student at Sapir College. He was standing in the parking lot of the college when a Kassam rocket struck meters away and he was hit in the chest by shrapnel. A Magen David Adom medic standing nearby was unable to save his life. He is the eleventh Israeli killed in the current spate of rockets from Gaza. Several others were badly injured during these attacks and many were treated for shock when rockets landed in homes, kindergartens and the College.
Hamas claimed credit for the rockets fired Wednesday in retaliation for the deaths of 5 men killed in a van that received a direct hit from IAF missiles. The van was travelling on the Gaza coast road with another car on Wednesday morning. A Shin Bet security agency source said that the van carried two leaders of the rocket attacks on Israel and included a team that had been trained in Syria and Iran recently in order to carry out further attacks in Israel. Clearly the loss of this team was significant for Hamas because they immediately initiated the rocket barrage. In response, later in the day, the IAF hit the Interior Ministry building in Gaza City where PM Haniyeh has an office. Some 25 people were injured in this attack.
PM Olmert is in Japan where he met with Secty. of State Condoleeza Rice. She issued a statement that the rockets being fired at Israel must stop. It seems ridiculous for Israel to be carrying out so-called "peace negotiations" when we are being subjected to a daily round of rocket attacks. Although Defense Minister Barak issued another warning to Hamas, and although targeted killings are effective, the Govt. has not found a means to stop these attacks, although there is no doubt that it could if it had the will to carry out a meaningful military response. They must move from a passive blockade of Gaza to an active plan of attack to stop the rockets!
Meanwhile Pres. Abbas of the PA on the West Bank stated in an interview that Hamas in Gaza is cooperating with al Qaeda. Whether the West like it or not, Hamastan in Gaza is a mini-terrorist state where all sorts of terrorists are planning their next attacks on Israel and the West.
Hamas claimed credit for the rockets fired Wednesday in retaliation for the deaths of 5 men killed in a van that received a direct hit from IAF missiles. The van was travelling on the Gaza coast road with another car on Wednesday morning. A Shin Bet security agency source said that the van carried two leaders of the rocket attacks on Israel and included a team that had been trained in Syria and Iran recently in order to carry out further attacks in Israel. Clearly the loss of this team was significant for Hamas because they immediately initiated the rocket barrage. In response, later in the day, the IAF hit the Interior Ministry building in Gaza City where PM Haniyeh has an office. Some 25 people were injured in this attack.
PM Olmert is in Japan where he met with Secty. of State Condoleeza Rice. She issued a statement that the rockets being fired at Israel must stop. It seems ridiculous for Israel to be carrying out so-called "peace negotiations" when we are being subjected to a daily round of rocket attacks. Although Defense Minister Barak issued another warning to Hamas, and although targeted killings are effective, the Govt. has not found a means to stop these attacks, although there is no doubt that it could if it had the will to carry out a meaningful military response. They must move from a passive blockade of Gaza to an active plan of attack to stop the rockets!
Meanwhile Pres. Abbas of the PA on the West Bank stated in an interview that Hamas in Gaza is cooperating with al Qaeda. Whether the West like it or not, Hamastan in Gaza is a mini-terrorist state where all sorts of terrorists are planning their next attacks on Israel and the West.
posted by Jack Cohen at 9:46 PM
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