On March 23, Hamas conducted a series of attacks on Israel. They were
said to have included the launch of enhanced BM-21 Grad rockets into such
Israeli cities as Ashdod and Beersheba as well as a bombing in Jerusalem.
The attacks were the worst since the Hamas war with Israel in 2008. In
Jerusalem, a British woman was killed and 39 were injured in the bombing.
"It's only a matter of time until we clash with Hamas again," Homeland
Security Minister Matan Vilna'i said.
The intelligence community has raised the prospect that the Jerusalem
bombing was the work of the Iranian-sponsored Islamic Jihad. Officials said
Jihad was believed to have activated its cell in the West Bank city of
Hebron to plan and conduct the attack.
Later, the Palestinian Authority arrested two suspected Jihad members in
the northern West Bank town of Jenin. The detainees were said to have been
connected to the attack in Jerusalem.
Officials said the Hamas escalation has eased tension with Palestinian
militias, particularly Jihad. They said after nearly two years of
restrictions, Hamas was allowing Jihad to conduct missile, mortar and
long-range rocket fire into Israel, which continued on March 24.
"We may have to consider a return to that operation [war against
Hamas]," Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said. "I say this despite the
fact that I know such a
thing would, of course, bring the region to a far more explosive situation."
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