What are Feeds?
Terrorists Escalate Rocket Attacks into Israel
January 05, 2008
Terrorist groups in Gaza fired a 122 MM Grad Katyusha rocket at the Israeli city of Ashkelon on Thursday, January 3rd, reaching farther into Israel from Gaza than ever before. Israel responded by launching three separate attacks into the Gaza Strip killing 11 terrorist militants in the past 24 hours.
"The Palestinians have attacked a major Israeli city ... and thus have upped the ante. Israel will not allow any cities to be attacked by Palestinian rocket fire," Israeli government spokesman David Baker said. Ashkelon is a major Israeli seaport city of over 105,000 residents and is located approximately 23 kilometers (14 Miles) north of Gaza city. The rocket landed in an area under construction and caused no bodily harm. The residents of this area are evacuees from the 2005 Gaza withdrawal and were placed in this area explicitly because it was out of range of Gaza rockets. Terrorists have fired one other Katyusha rocket into Ashkelon in July of 2007 but this particular rocket landed farther north indicating an upgraded weapon.
Israel is aware that Gaza terrorists are in possession of long range Katyusha rockets, but that the arsenal is small. The rocket of choice for most terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza strip is the Qassam rocket which has a much shorter range than the larger Katyusha rocket used on Thursday. Terrorist groups have also escalated Qassam and mortar bomb attacks this week prior to President George W. Bush’s upcoming visit. An IDF spokesman said that "throughout the day (Thursday), Palestinians fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel over 25 mortar shells, six Qassam rockets and one Grad Katyusha."
Israeli forces responded with three separate Gaza operations killing 9 militants and 2 civilians. The two civilians were women who were in a house from which terrorists were firing at Israeli soldiers. The IDF destroyed the house with a tank round killing the militants inside the structure as well as the 2 civilian women. The IDF released an official statement placing the death of these two women on the militants who willingly placed these women in the path of danger using them as a "human shield" deterrent against Israeli reprisal. Terrorists employ this tactic often placing innocent civilians in the line of Israeli return fire when fired upon by militant organizations.
Knesset Member, Tzvi Hendel, said Thursday that this rocket attack on Ashkelon is proof that Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip has not produced the desired results. Instead of building a prosperous Palestinian society, terrorists have overtaken the Gaza Strip and have used it continually as a launching pad against innocent Israeli citizens. MK Tzvi Hendel said "The IDF must conduct a massive ground operation in Gaza until the entire terrorist infrastructure is completely destroyed."
"The Palestinians have attacked a major Israeli city ... and thus have upped the ante. Israel will not allow any cities to be attacked by Palestinian rocket fire," Israeli government spokesman David Baker said. Ashkelon is a major Israeli seaport city of over 105,000 residents and is located approximately 23 kilometers (14 Miles) north of Gaza city. The rocket landed in an area under construction and caused no bodily harm. The residents of this area are evacuees from the 2005 Gaza withdrawal and were placed in this area explicitly because it was out of range of Gaza rockets. Terrorists have fired one other Katyusha rocket into Ashkelon in July of 2007 but this particular rocket landed farther north indicating an upgraded weapon.
Israel is aware that Gaza terrorists are in possession of long range Katyusha rockets, but that the arsenal is small. The rocket of choice for most terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza strip is the Qassam rocket which has a much shorter range than the larger Katyusha rocket used on Thursday. Terrorist groups have also escalated Qassam and mortar bomb attacks this week prior to President George W. Bush’s upcoming visit. An IDF spokesman said that "throughout the day (Thursday), Palestinians fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel over 25 mortar shells, six Qassam rockets and one Grad Katyusha."
Israeli forces responded with three separate Gaza operations killing 9 militants and 2 civilians. The two civilians were women who were in a house from which terrorists were firing at Israeli soldiers. The IDF destroyed the house with a tank round killing the militants inside the structure as well as the 2 civilian women. The IDF released an official statement placing the death of these two women on the militants who willingly placed these women in the path of danger using them as a "human shield" deterrent against Israeli reprisal. Terrorists employ this tactic often placing innocent civilians in the line of Israeli return fire when fired upon by militant organizations.
Knesset Member, Tzvi Hendel, said Thursday that this rocket attack on Ashkelon is proof that Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip has not produced the desired results. Instead of building a prosperous Palestinian society, terrorists have overtaken the Gaza Strip and have used it continually as a launching pad against innocent Israeli citizens. MK Tzvi Hendel said "The IDF must conduct a massive ground operation in Gaza until the entire terrorist infrastructure is completely destroyed."
