Saturday, August 20, 2011

Hamas calls off truce as rocket fire continues from Gaza


YAAKOV LAPPIN, REUTERS AND JPOST.COM STAFF
08/20/2011

"There is no longer any truce with the enemy," Hamas announced on radio; Iron Dome intercepts rocket fired at Ashkelon from Gaza; seven injured by Grad rocket that explodes in Ashdod yeshiva.


Hamas announced early on Saturday they were no longer committed to a more than two-year de facto truce with Israel since the end of a war in early 2009.

The statement was broadcast over a Hamas radio station in Gaza after Israel pounded the Strip for two days with air strikes in response to rocket fire and terror attacks on Thursday that killed eight people.

Note: Right from their old play book, Hamas attacks us, crosses over into our sovereign land, murders innocent civilians and then declares "truce" is over because we dared to protect ourselves? International community, see what you support. There is no longer any truce with the enemy," the statement said in a move seen as paving the way for Hamas to escalate the violence with Israel.

The IAF launched a number of air strikes at the Gaza Strip Friday night in response to Thursday's terror attack the continuing rocket fire, killing at least one Palestinian Resistance Committee (PRC) leader and hitting tunnels used to infiltrate Israel as well as weapons caches.

Earlier in the evening, an Iron Dome anti-missile battery successfully intercepted a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip toward Ashkelon.

Three rockets exploded in the Eshkol Regional council Friday night over a period of several hours. No injuries or damages were reported.

In the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, an explosion occurred near a local kibbutz Friday evening. Local officials said a Kassam rocket landed in an open area. No injuries or damages were reported.

An hour earlier, two rockets fired from Gaza fell in northern Lachish not far from Kiryat Malachi. No injuries were reported although the explosion sparked a fire, which spread to an empty building. The building was lightly damaged before firefighters put out the fire.

Police have asked members of the public in the affected areas to follow instructions from the home front command.
One person was seriously injured and another moderately injured after a Grad rocket fired from Gaza landed in the courtyard of a yeshiva in Ashdod on Friday morning.

Four other people were treated for shock following the attack. All were taken to Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot. An additional Grad that failed to explode subsequently fell in the area and was neutralized by the bomb squad.

Light damage was caused to the building as a result of the rocket fire.

The rocket attack came less than a day after a three-stage terror attack near Eilat killed eight people.

Earlier on Friday, at least 10 rockets were fired at various targets in the South including Ashkelon and Beersheba.

All of the rockets landed in open territory and no injuries or damage were reported.

IAF aircraft struck seven Hamas security installations in Gaza early Friday morning, killing at least one Palestinian, in further retaliation for the attacks on Thursday.
Gaza residents said three compounds controlled by Hamas were hit in the overnight raids on Thursday. Medical officials said a 13-year-old boy in a nearby building was killed and 17 people were wounded.

Defense sources said the attackers infiltrated from Gaza via Egypt's Sinai desert, despite stepped up efforts by Egyptian security forces in recent days to rein in Palestinian terrorists.

"If anyone thinks the State of Israel will resign itself to this, they are wrong," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said in a brief television address about the most deadly attack in Israel since 2008.

The IDF said seven gunmen were killed in southern Israel, including two who blew themselves up in suicide attacks on one of the buses and in a confrontation with soldiers.

Egyptian soldiers apparently shot dead two gunmen, the military said.

Comment:I epect our government to take a proactive stance with Hamas actions. "Truce", the definition of truce by despicable hamas leaders is to reduce the number of rockets fired against our civilians, never meant cessation. So..get ready for the next round of fighting-Hamas started this-again! Ready to be a nation-hardly!

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