Israeli warplanes today launched airstrikes against five targets in the Gaza Strip, with the strikes centering on the Nuseirat refugee camp. Israeli officials described the targets as “Hamas infrastructure.” Four Palestinians were wounded, none of them identified.
Israeli officials said the attacks were retaliation for a single rocket fired from Gaza, which crossed the Israel border. No damage was reported and no one was hurt in the incident, which appears to have been carried out by some smaller militant faction in Gaza.
As always, Hamas was the target afterwards, were Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman saying Hamas should “take responsibility” and prevent such launches if they want to avoid Israeli retaliation. Israeli military officials insisted that the single rocket proved “Hamas’ terrorist activity is ceaseless.”
While there appears to be little appetite for another Gaza war, it is somewhat unusual for it to have been over two years since the last time Israel invaded the strip in earnest, which is making a lot of people nervous. Such airstrikes often mark the beginning of a protracted escalation that leads to such an invasion.
Attacking people just because they fire rockets at you is simply cruel and inhumane.
Look at the evidence man. One pathetic rocket after constant “IDF” attacks. Israel love to pretend it is reacting to rockets. Check out the relative strength of the vastly overarmed, trigger-happy occupying force illegally keeping Palestinians from their land and destroying their houses and farms, plus killing them with impunity, and the lack of army, navy, airforce …….!!!! which is the Palestinian response from time to time- a few rocks or rockets, no precision guided like the “IDF”.
At some point, enough iterations of “a rocket landed harmlessly in a field and we retaliated” starts making me think it’s more likely “we set off a harmless rocket ourselves so we would have an excuse to retaliate.”
I well remember the excuse given by Israel for the breaking of the months-long truce with Hamas on US election day 2008, when the IDF killed 6 Palestinians allegedly trying to enter Israel via a tunnel(!) and set off the violence that then became “Cast Lead” 2008-9. New POTUS Obama said NOT ONE WORD about this until after his inauguration, which magically stopped the attack on Gaza.
Rosemerry, breaking news: It was announced today that another Palestinian rocket made out of soup cans, landed in Abraham’s mother’s cow pasture, severely upsetting Abraham’s mom’s milker so horribly that she (the cow) has dried up! Thereby depriving Abraham’s 2 week old don of milk, which has resulted in Abraham (the son) having to make the long trek to the grocery store to buy a quart. This could result in Abraham having to go to the grocery store repeatedly every day this week to buy milk!!
Oy veyyyyyy, the humanity!
The IDF has reported that the pasture is a ruin but the cow is back eating grass quite contentedly. An appropriate defensive strike has not the Palestinians in revenge, reportedly killing no more than 50. and injuring less than 200. (people) (no cows were injured)
Thomas Knapp,
No Sh-t! There is no doubt in my mind that the IDF has special troops whose role it is to dress up in Arab gear and go out into the desert and set off primitive rockets which by design fall harmlessly into Israeli territory providing an excuse for Israel to “answer” this false threat with lethal, overwhelming reprisal. For awhile, the Palestinians couldn’t import macaroni into Gaza, do you think the Israelis allow in rocket parts? It is all “street theater”, simple but effective when it comes to fooling folks like John Hagee or Trump – of course those are willing fools.
Fire rockets at you? These rockets must be of a special invisible kind. Not a patch of dirt disturbed. This is just to create a bit of crisis for Trump, who presumably is not good enough for Israel, pardon me, the Lobby. This is the dillema of the riches. All options available, name your wish, name your price. Yet, just like in fairy tales, the opportunity to get the three wishes gets squandered. Hope iIsrael will remember that what matters is Israel not others that use its existence for furthering their goals.