GAZA CITY — On Tuesday, Hamas fired at least six Kassam missiles toward the Israeli
city of Sderot.
"Israeli towns are within range of our rockets and we will not hesitate
to fire," a Hamas statement said.
Since the beginning of the week, gunners have fired 20 missiles that landed in or around Sderot.
The latest missile offensive was launched after Israeli troops shot dead a
Hamas commander, injured four people and sparked a fire in a factory.
"We will intensify missile fire toward Israeli settlements that are
within range, and we will not hesitate to use them in retaliation of Israeli
aggression," Abu Obeida said on Monday.
Meanwhile, Hamas has embarked on an effort to enhance its
arsenal, developing what operatives termed a new generation of
missiles. The Islamic movement said the effort would include
surface-to-surface as well as anti-tank missiles.
A spokesman for Hamas's Izzedin Kassam military wing, Abu Obeida, said
the effort was meant to increase the accuracy of missiles and anti-tank
weapons. He did not elaborate.
Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said he has set as a priority the
development of a defensive system against short-range missiles and rockets.
Peretz said his ministry would soon select a system that could intercept
short-range missiles as well as medium- and long-range rockets, including
those fired by Hizbullah during the war in mid-2006.
"I have directed the defense establishment to place at the head of its
agenda a solution against trajectory fire — from the Kassam to the
Zelzal — that I see as a tactical threat that has turned into a strategic
threat," Peretz said on Monday. "I hope that within a few short weeks, we
will decide on the preferred system and begin."
"We are striving hard to upgrade its missiles and anti-tank weapons to
make them more accurate and more effective than they are now," Abu
Obeida said.
Over the last year, Hamas has acquired anti-tank, anti-aircraft and
BM-21 Katyusha rockets. Hamas has also been extending the range of the
Kassam-class, short-range missile.
On Monday, Hamas supporters again prevented an Israeli air strike on a
suspected insurgency target in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources
said hundreds rushed to the home of a targeted Hamas stronghold in Beit
Lahiya to ward off an Israeli Air Force attack. Israel's military has been
telephoning targeted homes and providing occupants with 30 minutes to
evacuate.
The home was that of Wael Rajab, the Beit Lahiya commander of the
Interior Ministry's Executive Force, active in Hamas missile strikes against
Israel. This was the second time in less than three days that Israel aborted
plans to strike Hamas targets because of the formation of a Palestinian
human shield.
