TEL AVIV – On Saturday, Israeli jets struck Hamas targets after rockets were fired last night and early this morning from the Gaza Strip aimed at Israeli civilian population zones.
“Earlier today… a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at southern Israel,” the IDF said in a statement. “In response… aircraft targeted two Hamas terror infrastructures in the southern Gaza Strip.”
Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, the IDF’s spokesman to foreign media, said after Friday night’s rocket attack: “This evening’s rocket attack against the people of Israel is an unacceptable act of aggression. Hamas must be held accountable for these actions. We are determined and will continue to act to restore the quiet to the communities of southern Israel.”
The Times of Israel reported:
One of the two rockets fired from Gaza landed in an open area of the Eshkol regional council overnight Friday-Saturday. The second fell close to the border fence, Army Radio said.
The rocketing follows a series of Hamas attacks in recent day. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Hamas militants fired at least six times at IDF forces searching for terror tunnels along the Israel-Gaza border. The Israel Air Force retaliated by firing at Hamas targets in Gaza.
This reporter analysed this situation on Wednesday:
Hamas seems to be testing Israel’s military and political response to the possibility of another major outbreak of war in the south.
Gaza’s Islamist rulers are also clearly sending a message to Egypt and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that Hamas must be part of any future accommodation regarding border security along the coastal enclave. The Egyptians have been mediating reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah Party eyeing a security presence along the Gaza-Egypt border. Abbas is due in Egypt next week for consultations.
Over the last 24 hours, Hamas militants fired at least six times at IDF forces searching for terror tunnels along the Israel-Gaza border. The Israel Air Force retaliated by firing at Hamas targets in Gaza on Wednesday.
Hamas’s escalation seems to be further aimed at signalling that it is willing to take risks to prevent the IDF from destroying the terror tunnels, which are critical to Hamas’s battle-plans and regional power.
Hamas is also increasingly desperate as its economy is on the brink of collapse, and it may be using the violence to send a message to Israel and the international community that the Islamist group is willing to draw Israel into conflict if Hamas’s financial needs are not met. Renewed hostilities would also help to redirect Palestinian anger away from Hamas’s own failing government and toward the Jewish state.
Aaron Klein is Breitbart’s Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio.” Follow him on Twitter @AaronKleinShow. Follow him on Facebook.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.