Israel, Egypt on high alert for Hamas attack
Friday, April 11, 2008 Free Headline Alerts
CAIRO — Egypt and Israel have been on alert for a major Hamas border strike.
Israeli and Egyptian forces have been placed on high alert along the Gaza Strip amid intelligence that the Hamas regime was planning a series of major attacks. The intelligence warned of Hamas attacks on Israeli facilities and the destruction of the Egypt-Gaza border.
"The Hamas attacks could take place any day," a security source said.
On Wednesday, Hamas-aligned combatants attacked a gasoline storage terminal along the Gaza-Israel border. At least two Israeli workers were killed in what was termed a major security breach. The Popular Resistance Committees and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the strike, meant to either blow up the terminal or abduct Israelis.
"It seems that terrorists intended to carry out a more severe attack, with the characteristics of an infiltration into a community or a kidnapping," Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant, chief of the Israeli military's Southern Command, said.
At the same time, Hamas was said to be preparing to destroy the 12-kilometer border wall between the Gaza Strip and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Security sources said Hamas was believed to have laid mines at the Rafah border terminal with Egypt.
The sources said Hamas could use bulldozers to knock down the newly-reinforced concrete border wall built by Egypt in wake of the previous breach in January 2008. They said Egyptian troops along the border wall have been placed on alert in coordination with Israel.
On April 8, Hamas warned of an imminent explosion along the Gaza-Sinai border. The regime demanded the immediate and permanent opening of the Rafah border terminal.
"I say clearly all options are open," Hamas representative Khalil Al Haya said. "What is coming will be bigger than what happened in the past, not only at the borders with Egypt but in other areas too."