Israeli military sources said the Palestinian strike was expected amid
the Fatah-Hamas militia war. The sources said Hamas was believed to have
fired the missiles in an attempt to prompt an Israeli invasion and end
internecine fighting in the Gaza Strip.
"We have no intention of getting involved in these clashes," Defense
Minister Amir Peretz said.
Israel's military responded by firing toward open areas in the northern
Gaza Strip. On Wednesday, hundreds of Sderot residents left their homes for
communities near Jerusalem in a non-government evacuation.
"The [Israeli] response will be determined by the number of casualties,"
Yoav Limor, the military analyst for Israel's state television, said.
Israel's military has sought to block Hamas operations near the eastern
border fence with the Jewish state. On Tuesday, three Israeli Merkava-class
main battle tanks entered the Gaza Strip to confront a Hamas force.
A senior Israeli military officer in Southern Command said the Gaza
Strip was becoming a strategic danger to Israel. The officer said Hamas and
other Palestinian militias were smuggling huge amounts of explosives,
weapons as well as anti-aircraft missiles from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
"There is no [PA] interest in stopping the Kassams," [Res.] Brig. Gen.
Shmuel Zaka, former chief of staff of Southern Command, said. "Every faction
does what it wants and each of them has an agenda."
