Lilach Shoval and Shlomo Cesana
An Iron Dome battery on
alert in southern Israel on Wednesday
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A Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip
landed in an open field in the Ashkelon area late Wednesday night. No
casualties were reported.
The rocket may have been fired in retaliation
for Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. In response to a
spate of terrorist attacks, including a bus bombing near Tel Aviv on
Sunday, Israeli forces attacked multiple sites in the Gaza Strip this
week. The Israel Defense Forces focused on six different targets,
including a weapons-manufacturing facility. Hamas said a 4-year-old
Gazan girl was killed as a result of the IDF attack.
On Wednesday, anticipating a response from
Hamas, the IDF's Iron Dome anti-rocket system was placed on alert. Armor
and Combat Engineering Corps personnel were given orders to increase
their preparedness level, as were infantry troops. But despite the
simmering tensions, Wednesday was largely uneventful. Defense officials
believe Hamas' limited response was a result of its desire to avoid a
large-scale confrontation with Israel, in part because it fears Egypt
would view such a development unfavorably. Cairo had insisted Hamas
de-escalate the latest round of hostilities.
The only unusual incident in the Gaza Strip on
Wednesday took place when a Gazan man attempted to breach the fence
near the strip's northern coast. Israeli forces detained him and took
him in for questioning.
Defense Minister Moshe (Bogie) Ya'alon warned Hamas on Wednesday.
"We take the terror attacks of the past few
days very seriously. Hamas rules Gaza Strip and as such, we hold it
responsible for the situation," he said.
"We expect it to impose its authority on its
people and on the other organizations and if it does not do that, we
will continue to retaliate forcefully. We will not allow the disruption
of normal life in southern Israel and we will react forcefully to any
attempt to harm Israelis.
"I strongly recommend that Hamas not test our
patience. If there is no peace in Israel, there will be no peace in the
Gaza Strip. I hope Hamas and the other organizations internalize this
and calm things down. As a precautionary step we are preparing for the
event of an escalation -- and this includes the deployment of Iron Dome
batteries and other things -- lest people get the wrong idea.
"Things are not so peaceful in Judea and
Samaria. This is particularly true when it comes to Palestinian
terrorism. We are not talking about terrorists who belong to
full-fledged organizations, just lone [unaffiliated] individuals. That
is why we call this 'atmospheric terrorism.' We know that these attacks
are a consequence of incitement. It is fanned by the Palestinian
Authority in Judea and Samaria, which teaches hatred of Israel. As long
as this situation persists, we will have to deal with it, be it by
increasing our troop level or by hunting down every terrorist and
settling scores."
Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz met
with the acting Egyptian Ambassador Mustafa Al-Kuni on Wednesday.
Steinitz's office later released a statement saying the two "discussed
the recent tensions in the Gaza Strip, and Steinitz made it clear that
if the attacks from the Gaza Strip continue, Israel would have to
retaliate with great force."
A Hamas spokesman attacked Israel on
Wednesday, saying the IDF's actions "underscore the weakness of the
Zionist enemy." Referring to the alleged killing of the 4-year-old girl,
the spokesman said: "This shows the occupation's brutality."
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