Rocket from Gaza hits Israeli city, no injuries

[oberliner]

JERUSALEM — Gaza militants fired a rocket into the Israeli city of Ashkelon early Friday, the military said, a rare strike in a period of relative quiet.

The Israeli military said the rocket caused damage but no injuries. None of the Palestinian militant groups in Gaza immediately took responsibility for the attack.

The city of 120,000, located 11 miles (18 kilometers) to the north of Gaza and a short drive from Israel's main population center in Tel Aviv, was a regular target for Palestinian militants before Israel's Gaza offensive ended early last year. Militants have kept up limited rocket and mortar fire closer to the Israel-Gaza border, but the cities and towns of Israel's south have largely been quiet since the fighting ended.

"A Grad rocket hit in a yard next to buildings, in a heavily populated area," the city's mayor, Benny Vaknin, told Israel Radio, saying it was a "miracle" that no one was hurt. Vaknin said a warning siren that went off before the rocket hit gave residents time to take cover.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioi_0jtO9RjMwPNRoXNCndRPRq3gD9H98SMO0

[PCIntern]

1. ---Crickets---

Something must be wrong with my browser, because this is the first post in reply after 18 minutes...

[Violet_Crumble]

10. I'd suggest some patience.

After all, there are times threads can go hours or days without a reply. Not sure why you seem to think there should be replies within minutes to this particular thread...

[hayu_lol]

2. Them pesky Palestinian folks sure have a way of ...

showing how badly they want peace don't they?

Newslink mentioned that nearby apartment buildings lost windows to the blast. The newspiece also mentioned that HAMAS has reduced it's rocket/mortar fire out of fear of Israeli retaliation. No group has yet stepped forward to claim the responsibility for the rocket.

So far at least, the Israelis have neither returned the fire nor have they retaliated.

Rockets continue to be smuggled in to Gaza. For the cost of those rockets, food could be bought for those poor starving and impoverished people.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[azurnoir]

4. Israel to lodge complaint with UN about Gaza rocket attack on Ashkelon

The Foreign Ministry on Friday said that Israel would lodge a protest with the United Nations for a Grad rocket attack on Ashkelon earlier in the day.

The Foreign Ministry said that attack clearly targeted civilians and was a grave violation of international law.

A Grad-type Katyusha rocket fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip struck close to an apartment building in a residential area of Ashkelon on Friday morning, while two mortar shells exploded in the western Negev just a few hours later.

The Katyusha rocket hit the populated neighborhood just after 8:30 A.M., causing some damage to the nearby building and to a number of parked cars. There were no casualties in the incident, but at least two people were treated for shock. Residents said that the Color Red rocket alert sounded prior to the explosion.

At around 12:30 P.M., two mortar shells hit the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.

The Israeli military believes that Hamas was not responsible for the Grad attack and that the Islamist organization which controls the Gaza Strip is not interested in escalating tensions in the area, Army Radio reported.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-to-lodge-complaint-with-un-about-gaza-rocket-attack-on-ashkelon-1.304966

hopefully the UN condemns this attack

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. As I have pointed out in the past, attacks at that range are a serious escalation

see http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=228696&mesg_id=231984

[azurnoir]

11. Thanks for pointing out that Grads or Katyusha's are not new to Gaza

but doesn't strike as strange that even though IDF admits that

The Israeli military believes that Hamas was not responsible for the Grad attack and that the Islamist organization which controls the Gaza Strip is not interested in escalating tensions in the area, Army Radio reported.

IDF would bomb Hamas targets anyway

Israel carried out air strikes on Hamas-linked targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday night after a rocket fired from the Palestinian territory exploded in the city of Ashkelon earlier in the day.

The Israel Defense Force Spokesperson confirmed the air-strike which targeted a Hamas-linked site in the northern Gaza Strip, a weapons-manufacturing warehouse in the central Gaza Strip and a weapons-smuggling tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-hamas-activist-killed-in-iaf-strike-on-gaza-targets-1.304966

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. They still have been rare, and that is a good thing as I pointed out

Both Hamas and Hezbollah have stated they have longer range rockets. Hezbollah recently claimed that they have targets identified in Israel for them.

I too found the IDF statement strange. In the past they have held Hamas responsible for any and all military action.

[oberliner]

5. IAF strikes Gaza targets in response to rocket attack on Ashkelon

Israel carried out air strikes on Hamas-linked targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday night after a rocket fired from the Palestinian territory exploded in the city of Ashkelon earlier in the day.

The Israel Defense Force Spokesperson confirmed the air-strike which targeted a Hamas-linked site in the northern Gaza Strip, a weapons-manufacturing warehouse in the central Gaza Strip and a weapons-smuggling tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.

Witnesses and medics in Gaza reported that four people were injured in the strike.

Earlier Friday, Israel lodged a complaint to the United Nations about rocket and mortar attacks launched from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel.

A Grad-type Katyusha rocket fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza struck close to an apartment building in a residential area of Ashkelon on Friday morning, while two mortar shells exploded in the western Negev just a few hours later.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/iaf-strikes-gaza-targets-in-response-to-rocket-attack-on-ashkelon-1.304966

[hayu_lol]

8. Glad to see the Israelis keep their promises...

strike at Israel and we will strike back.

Somehow, the Palestinians and the Gazans have failed to get the message. The return fire was, according to what news is available,directed at a munition factory and one of the principal smuggling tunnels, both of which were valid targets.

Too bad the Palestinians don't have uniforms...if they were identifiable, they would save a lot of civilian lives. But, they are cowards all.

[Violet_Crumble]

9. I get sick of the 'they started it first!' crap...

How about being opposed to ALL firing of rockets, not being appalled by it when one lot does it and turning into a cheerleader when the other bunch do?

And Israel has proven in the past that it doesn't pay much attention to what international law considers to be legitimate targets or not.

btw, calling Palestinians cowards says a lot about you, and it's not pleasant at all...

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. JPost coverage of the same story

http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=183123

[oberliner]

13. Hamas rocket maker killed in raid

Israeli air raids have killed a Hamas rocket maker and wounded 13 other people in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian faction that rules the territory told Al Jazeera.

Issa Batran, a commander of Hamas' armed wing, was killed overnight after a missile hit his trailer in central Gaza

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/07/201073175722233189.html