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.


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