On Friday, Israeli warplanes and attack helicopters carried out a flurry
of attacks against the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Air Force estimated 100
military targets in Gaza were hit, saying they all belong to Hamas.
This attack was retaliation for a pair of rockets fired out of Gaza
toward Tel Aviv. For Israel to retaliate in an excessive way is not
unusual. What is unusual is that Hamas says the rocket fire was accidental, and the Israeli Army has concurred, saying they believe the Hamas version of the events.
Which is quite a story. According to Hamas, some bungling low-level
member “messed with” a rocket launcher that was set to fire on Tel Aviv
in the event of a war, and fired them without authorization. The attack
happened in the middle of Hamas talks with Egypt, which made it doubly
embarrassing.
Gaza reports say one or more Hamas operatives were arrested over the
matter. Israel’s decision to attack Gaza anyhow seems puzzling given the
apparent circumstances, though there was a suggestion that if the
attack was deliberate, the Israeli strikes would’ve been “five times heavier.”
Israeli Army Attacks Gaza, Confirms Gaza Rocket Fire Was Likely an Accident
Israeli planes strike 100 targets in Gaza over Friday
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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