Special to WorldTribune.com

GAZA CITY — Three BM-21 Grad rockets were fired from Egypt’s Sinai
Peninsula toward the neighboring Israeli city of Eilat on April 4.

Nobody was reported injured in the late-night rocket salvo. Such attacks on Israel from the increasingly unstable Sinai region have been rare and took place as thousands flocked to the resort town for the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Meanwhile, the Hamas regime has encountered a new presence of Libyan-based fighters in the Gaza Strip.

Diplomatic sources said hundreds of Al Qaida-inspired fighters relocated from Libya to the Gaza Strip over the last six months. They said the fighters brought with them missiles and rockets stolen from the arsenal of the late Libyan Col. Moammar Gadhafi.

“Qatar is the financial backer, but Iran is coordinating the flow,” a
Western diplomat said.

The sources said the Libyan-based fighters were receiving help from elements within Hamas. They said a key supporter was Hamas political bureau member Imad Alami, who arrived in the Gaza Strip in late 2011 and deemed the leading liaison with Teheran.

“They [Libyans] now have sufficient confidence to initiate hostilities,”
a diplomatic source said.

The sources said the new jihadist presence was mainly responsible for
the rocket fire that sparked the mini-war with Israel in March. They said
the Hamas regime was dismayed by the unauthorized rocket fire but did not
try to stop the Qatari-financed group.

“The jihadists are sending a message to Hamas that they are not
challenging the regime but will not take orders from them,” the source said.

The sources said the Libyan-based fighters were coordinating with
several militias, particularly the Iranian-sponsored Islamic Jihad. They
said Jihad was responsible for most of the missile and rocket fire during
the mini-war and was helping smaller militias, such as Fatah, in attacks.

Hamas did not try to stop rocket attacks by such militias as Jihad and
Popular Resistance Committees. Until 2011, Hamas security forces were
stopping and even arresting militia fighters who staged unauthorized
operations, supported by Iran.

“What I can say is that the government in Gaza didn’t prevent us from
doing a thing with regard to our resistance activity,” PRC spokesman Abu
Mujahid said. “The government in Gaza truly didn’t prevent us from
responding to this aggression.”

  Al Qaida-inspired fighters, Col. Moammar Gadhafi, Imad Alami, Islamic Jihad, Israel hit by rockets from Egypt; Libyan jihadists in Gaza Strip credited for March mini-war, Popular Resistance Committees