Rocket Attack

by Tobias Buck
Financial Times
February 4, 2009

http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/744/rocket-attack

It was the first attack of its kind since the Jewish state ended a three-week offensive against the Hamas-controlled territory. The two sides continued to slide from fragile ceasefire back to open confrontation.

The rocket, which has a longer range and carries more explosives than those usually used by Gaza-based groups, landed in the city of Ashkelon. There were no injuries.

Israeli aircraft responded by attacking targets inside Gaza, including the tunnels linking the territory with Egypt that are used by Hamas and other groups to smuggle weapons and other supplies.

"Hamas is playing with fire, and if there is going to be an escalation now, Hamas has no one to blame but itself," Israel said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks of the past two weeks. But Israeli officials and Gaza-based sources agree that the rockets were not fired by Hamas but by smaller groups such as Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees.

These groups operate at a remove from Hamas but have in the past succumbed to pressure from it to halt fire.

Israel's policy is to hold Hamas responsible for all attacks from the Gaza Strip, which it has ruled since June 2007.

The escalation has again sparked calls for Israel to oust Hamas from Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the opposition Likud party and the man tipped to win next week's general election, said: "We need to topple the Hamas regime in Gaza."

Related Topics:  Palestinian Rockets receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free jewish policy center mailing list