Army Says Palestinians Fire Rockets into Israel, Further Testing Shaky Five-Month-Old Truce

by Diaa Hadid
Associated Press
November 13, 2008

http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/391/army-says-palestinians-fire-rockets-into-israel

Gaza militants fired a new barrage of rockets and mortars at Israeli border areas on Thursday, prompting Israel to bar planned food and fuel shipments to Palestinian civilians hurt by the unraveling of a five-month-old truce.

Israel had planned to let in 30 trucks of food aid to replenish dwindling warehouse stocks. It also had agreed to let in fuel to power Gaza's only electrical plant.

But Palestinian militants fired five rockets and two mortars at southern Israel early Thursday, and Israeli security officials said the border crossings would remain shut.

Without the food aid, the U.N. will be forced to suspend handouts to 750,000 needy Gazans, beginning Friday, said John Ging, head of Gaza operations for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

"The U.N. has been very clear that we should not hand the agenda over to those who fire rockets," Ging said. "They shouldn't dictate whether the crossings are open or not for the civilian population here."

Electrical plant officials said they expected to run out of fuel Thursday evening with widespread blackouts to follow throughout the territory of 1.4 million people.

Israel also continued to block diplomats and journalists from entering the territory, including a group of some 20 European diplomats. The military said crossings were closed to all but humanitarian operations.

Gaza hasn't been sealed so long since Egyptian mediators hammered out a truce between Israel and Gaza's ruling Islamic militant Hamas group in June. The fraying truce is set to end in December, although both sides say they want it to stick.

The truce began eroding last week when Israeli forces entered Gaza to try destroy what they said was a militants' tunnel. Eleven militants have been killed in more than a week of fighting, and more than 130 rockets and mortars have been fired into Israel since.

"The rockets are a natural response to (Israel's) aggression," said Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman.

Israeli warplanes flew low over Gaza's skies on Thursday, setting off sonic booms over the territory.

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