Israel:
Hamas Responsible For Grad Missile Terrorism
By Israel News Agency Staff
Jerusalem ---- October 8, 2007...... The following was communicated
by the Israel Foreign Ministry and the Israel Government Press
Office to the Israel News Agency.
Palestinian
terrorists in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip fired a Grad missile,
which landed near the southern Israel town of Netivot - about
15 km inside Israel territory.
On
Sunday morning (7 Oct 2007), Palestinian terrorists in the Hamas-controlled
Gaza Strip fired a Grad missile, which landed near the southern
Israel town of Netivot - about 15 km inside Israel territory.
The 122 mm Grad heavy artillery rocket, apparently produced
in the former Soviet Union and smuggled into Gaza from Egypt,
is an improved version of the infamous Katyusha rocket recently
used by the Hizbullah to bombard northern Israel from Lebanese
territory.
The
use of this weapon marks a significant escalation in the Palestinian
campaign of terror against Israeli civilians. The Grad attack
is an escalation both in the range of the missile as well as
the destructive force of the missile's warhead.
In
addition to the attack on Netivot, Israel eight mortar shells
fell in Kibbutz Keren Shalom from Gaza, one landing a direct
hit on a civilian house, causing extensive damage. Three locally
produced Kassam rockets were also fired from the northern Gaza
Strip, landing in the area of the Sdot Negev Regional Council.
These
terror attacks, particularly the use of a long range Grad missile,
are yet another attempt by Islamic terrorists to influence political
events through the use of violence. The extremist terrorists,
operating under the Iran funded Hamas umbrella in Gaza, timed
their attack to cause maximum disruption to the
burgeoning political process between Israel and the moderate
Palestinian leadership led by Palestinian Authority President
Mahmoud Abbas.
This
week, US Secretary of State Rice is visiting the region in order
to advance the international meeting planned to take place in
November in Annapolis to promote Israel - Palestinian reconciliation.
Quartet envoy Tony Blair is also in the area, in order to promote
cooperation between the sides. The Israel and Palestinian working
groups established in last week's meeting between Israel Prime
Minister Olmert and Palestine Authority President Abbas are
slated to meet this week in order to map out common ground in
advance of the November meeting. The Arab terrorist escalation
at this time is aimed at derailing this important movement through
the use of indiscriminate violence against Israel civilians.
The
situation in Israel communities bordering Gaza has become intolerable.
Almost-daily terror rocket attacks have disrupted the lives
of the residents - innocent civilians with destroyed homes and
businesses, damaged schools, kindergartens and other public
buildings and led to an entire generation
of Jewish children being severely traumatized by the constant
threat of deadly terror attack. Now, with the use of even longer
range weapons, even more cities in Israel have fallen under
the extremists' range of terror.
This
escalation of Islamic Arab terror cannot be tolerated.
Israel's
peaceful disengagement from Gaza two years ago has only led
to more attacks and to more terrorism. Since the disengagement
from Gaza, over 2000 artillery rockets and hundreds of mortar
bombs have struck Israel territory, leading to the murders of
14 Israelis and the injury of hundreds more. Much of this violence
has occurred since the Hamas terror group seized control of
the Gaza Strip in June of this year.
Last
month, Israel determined that Gaza is a hostile territory, controlled
by Hamas - an organization dedicated to the destruction of the
State of Israel. Indeed, the Hamas is recognized as a terrorist
group by many others in the democratic world, including the
EU, Canada, US, Australia and Japan.
No
matter which particular group claims responsibility for the
Grad missile fired today, Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip
and gives its approval and praise for these attacks, bears the
ultimate
responsibility.
Since 1995, the Israel News Agency has been vigilant on behalf
of Israel, 365 days a years, 24 hours a day.
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