TEL AVIV — Palestinian insurgents have launched one of their biggest
missile attacks since they agreed to a cooling-off period in the war against
Israel in February 2005.
More than 40 missiles and mortars have been fired toward Jewish
communities in Israel and the Gaza Strip since Thursday evening, Middle East Newsline reported. One woman
was killed in a salvo of four Kassam-class,
short-range missiles launched from the northern Gaza Strip.
"There has been a worsening of the situation," Interior Minister Ofer
Pinas-Paz said on Friday. "There's no question that the ceasefire has
dissipated."
A 22-year-old Israeli woman was killed in a salvo of missiles that
struck the Israeli community of Netiv Ha'asara, located just north of the
Gaza Strip and which has been demanded by the Palestinian Authority. Israeli
military sources said the salvo was fired from the area of the northern Gaza
town of Beit Hanoun.
Another salvo of four missiles struck the area around Kibbutz Nahal Oz,
located in Israel just east of the Gaza Strip. One missile struck a border
police jeep, but nobody was injured.
On Friday, about 10 additional Kassam missiles were fired from the Gaza
Strip, with four of them landing in Sderot. There were no reports of major
injuries. Officials said Sderot's new missile alert system, termed "Red
Dawn," sounded sirens to warn of the incoming projectiles.
In all, at least 18 Kassam missiles were fired in a period of 14 hours,
almost all of them from Beit Hanoun, officials said. Hamas and the ruling
Fatah movement claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.
Overnight Friday, Israel Air Force helicopters fired missiles toward
three Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, Israeli military sources said. Hours
later, the military sent main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers to
the area.
Israel's ground forces did not respond to the missile and mortar salvo.
Military sources said Southern Command has been using its forces to seal the
Gaza Strip from Israeli non-residents in preparation for the withdrawal from
the area in August.
The PA confirmed the missile attacks as Palestinian sources said at
least two people were killed and nine others injured in a battle between PA
police and Hamas. The fighting in Gaza City on Friday took place as PA
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas sought to meet Hamas leaders in another effort to end
attacks against Israel.
"We will take the most energetic measures to put an end to this firing
and to find a solution," PA Interior Minister Nasser Yusef said.
