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IDF strikes 80 Gaza targets overnight in response to multiple rocket barrages
 [IsraelTimes] Army says 30 projectiles fired at Israel overnight; sirens blare once more on Saturday morning; Iron Dome intercepts 10 rockets, the rest cause no damageThe Israeli military carried out extensive air strikes in the Gazoo Strip Friday night, striking around 80 terror targets in the enclave, after a night in which around 30 rockets were launched across the border, sending many thousands of Israelis into shelters. The rocket barrages were launched between approximately 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., leading warning sirens to sound throughout Israeli communities multiple times throughout the night. There followed about 3 hours of quiet until 6 a.m., when sirens were once again activated by an apparent launch. The Iron Dome aerial defense system intercepted 10 of the nighttime rockets, while two fell inside Gazoo and the rest hit open fields and were thus not targeted by the system. There were no reports of direct Israeli casualties or damage. In response air force jets and helicopters bombarded various Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw, targets in the Strip, including two weapons-production facilities, five military sites, a training facility, a tunnel shaft and an observation post. Gazoo’s health ministry said a hospital in northern Gazoo known as the Indonesian Hospital was damaged by one of the strikes, though photos of the damage did not appear to indicate a direct hit on the building. There were no reports of casualties. The IDF said in a statement Saturday morning it "views with great severity the rocket attack tonight against Israeli communities." It blamed Hamas for creating "a terror-enabling atmosphere...near the border fence which led terror groups in the Strip to carry out tonight’s attack." US Special Representative for International Negotiations, Jason Greenblatt, tweeted support for Israel overnight, saying: "More rockets from Gazoo into Israel. Another night where parents are ushering terrified children to cover." The Paleostinian Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... (PIJ) group appeared to claim responsibility for the overnight barrages, though it did not explicitly say so. The terror organization stated that the assault was a response to deaths during Friday’s border protests, after five Paleostinians were killed during riots, one by his own hand grenade. Paleostinian sources speaking to the Ynet news website claimed the attacks were carried out against the objections of the Hamas terror group that rules Gazoo, though this had no official confirmation. A front man for the city of Sderot said at least eight rockets were fired at his city, with Iron Dome intercepting six of them, while two others fell in an open area. In response to the rocket barrages, the IDF’s Home Front Command overnight issued instructions restricting gatherings in the Gazoo periphery: up to 100 people in open areas and 500 people in closed spaces. In a statement following the launching of rockets at Israel Friday night, the PIJ said: "The resistance can not stand idly by in the face of the continued killing of innocent people in cold blood by the occupation...and the continued shedding of the blood of peaceful civilians." It would be the first time Gazoo terror groups have explicitly used rocket attacks in response to deaths at the border since regular violent protests began in March, Hadashot news reported.  Five Palestinians said killed in Gaza riots, one by his own hand grenade[IsraelTimes] Army says 16,000 Gazooks join violent border protests, belying earlier talk of a new era of calm Five Paleostinians were said killed and 170 injured Friday during riots along the Gazoo border fence, the Hamas-run health ministry said, as violence continued despite expectations of quiet along the turbulent frontier. The IDF said helicopters and aircraft hit three Hamas sites during protests. One of the fatalities, named as Jaber Abu Hemesa, died east of El Bureij, in the central part of the Strip, when a hand grenade he was holding went kaboom!accidentally, witnesses said. The Hamas ministry said 27-year-old Muhammad al-Nabi was shot in the head during protests near Jabaliya in northern Gazoo. It identified three other fatalities as Nasser Abu Taim, 22, Aish Sha’ath, 23, Ahmed Abu Lebda, 22, and said they were killed in separate incidents near Khan Younis in southern Gazoo. The Israeli army did not comment on the deaths but said approximately 16,000 "demonstrators and rioters" were gathered along the border. "The rioters hurled grenades, Molotov cocktails and rocks and lit tires on fire," the IDF said. "During the events, IDF attack helicopters and IDF aircraft targeted three Hamas military posts in the northern Gazoo Strip," the army said, adding that Paleostinians briefly breached the fence in two places. The protesters took part in the protests in several locations under the banner of "Gazoo won’t surrender," setting fire to tires, throwing rocks and explosives at soldiers near the border and attempting to break down the fence. Posted by: trailing wife 2018-10-27 |
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