(Al-Monitor) Shlomi Eldar - On Jan. 15, Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted two rockets fired from Gaza and another two fell in open areas. Israel believes the rockets were launched by Islamic Jihad, but held Hamas responsible for all violence emanating from Gaza. After the previous rocket attacks from Gaza on Dec. 25, Hamas conveyed a message to Israel via Egypt, saying the firing had been carried out by rogue activists and promising to take action so that such "missteps" would not recur. But the Hamas pledge of calm lasted only three weeks. The IDF's response on Hamas targets stemmed from an assessment that Hamas was complicit in the launches - whether by turning a blind eye or being involved. All Hamas promises do not hold for long. After every launch, they come up with an excuse to mitigate their responsibility. In October, Hamas even blamed a rocket launch at Beersheba on a lightning strike that triggered the launcher.
2020-01-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive