Saguaro
03-13-2008, 12:40 PM
GAZA (Reuters) - Islamic Jihad fired rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip on Thursday after an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank, in renewed violence that threatened prospects for an Egyptian-brokered truce.
No one was injured by the salvo against the border town of Sderot, the first such attack by Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant faction, since March 5.
Israel, which had not struck in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in a week, attacked from the air a rocket launcher in the town of Beit Hanoun after Sderot was hit. No one was hurt.
Islamic Jihad had vowed revenge after Israeli troops killed four of its members in the West Bank on Wednesday. Israel has rebuffed Hamas's call for the West Bank to be included in any ceasefire arrangement.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said the operations showed that Israel would continue to "pursue and attack all murderers with blood on their hands and their dispatchers."
Daoud Shehab, an Islamic Jihad spokesman, said Israel had "wiped out any chance to talk about calm at this time."
Hamas said Israeli "aggression" risked destroying Cairo's efforts to mediate a ceasefire, seen as key to securing enough quiet for there to be progress in U.S.-sponsored peace talks between Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
But Hamas, which is seeking a reopening of the territory's borders as part of a truce deal, stopped short of abandoning the ceasefire talks in which Islamic Jihad also has participated.
Hamas has largely held its fire since March 3, when Israel ended a five-day offensive against Gaza rocket crews in which more than 120 Palestinians, many of them civilians, and two soldiers died.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said Israel would hold Hamas accountable for every rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, territory the group seized in fighting against Abbas's Fatah faction in June.
"When another group publicly takes responsibility, as happened earlier today, such a group could not be shooting rockets without the acquiescence and collaboration of Hamas. We will not allow Hamas to sub-contract out terrorism," Regev said.
WEST BANK RAID
In the West Bank on Wednesday evening, undercover Israeli commandos drove into the town of Bethlehem and killed a local Islamic Jihad leader, two of his comrades, and a militant from al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed Fatah wing.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said the soldiers had planned to arrest the Palestinians but opened fire after spotting weapons. The Islamic Jihad men had been involved in attacks, she said.
Another Islamic Jihad militant was killed by Israeli troops earlier in the West Bank town of Tulkarm.
Israel has played down speculation a formal ceasefire could be imminent. Olmert offered to halt attacks on Gaza if there are no rocket launches, but Israel argues that its West Bank raids are needed to stop militants from striking.
Tzahi Hanegbi, a senior legislator from Olmert's Kadima party, said Wednesday's operation was aimed at "settling an old score" against gunmen who had carried out attacks in the past against Israelis.
"That in itself is a policy that we must uphold, to settle scores," Hanegbi told Israel Radio when asked if the killings were necessary in light of Egypt's truce efforts.
At least 12 rockets were fired from Gaza on Thursday. A house was damaged but there were no casualties, the Israeli military said.
"This was our initial response," an Islamic Jihad spokesman said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080313/ts_nm/palestinians_israel_dc;_ylt=Asm3B6ywGy7EEyy.wCBour pZ.3QA
No one was injured by the salvo against the border town of Sderot, the first such attack by Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant faction, since March 5.
Israel, which had not struck in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in a week, attacked from the air a rocket launcher in the town of Beit Hanoun after Sderot was hit. No one was hurt.
Islamic Jihad had vowed revenge after Israeli troops killed four of its members in the West Bank on Wednesday. Israel has rebuffed Hamas's call for the West Bank to be included in any ceasefire arrangement.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said the operations showed that Israel would continue to "pursue and attack all murderers with blood on their hands and their dispatchers."
Daoud Shehab, an Islamic Jihad spokesman, said Israel had "wiped out any chance to talk about calm at this time."
Hamas said Israeli "aggression" risked destroying Cairo's efforts to mediate a ceasefire, seen as key to securing enough quiet for there to be progress in U.S.-sponsored peace talks between Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
But Hamas, which is seeking a reopening of the territory's borders as part of a truce deal, stopped short of abandoning the ceasefire talks in which Islamic Jihad also has participated.
Hamas has largely held its fire since March 3, when Israel ended a five-day offensive against Gaza rocket crews in which more than 120 Palestinians, many of them civilians, and two soldiers died.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said Israel would hold Hamas accountable for every rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, territory the group seized in fighting against Abbas's Fatah faction in June.
"When another group publicly takes responsibility, as happened earlier today, such a group could not be shooting rockets without the acquiescence and collaboration of Hamas. We will not allow Hamas to sub-contract out terrorism," Regev said.
WEST BANK RAID
In the West Bank on Wednesday evening, undercover Israeli commandos drove into the town of Bethlehem and killed a local Islamic Jihad leader, two of his comrades, and a militant from al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed Fatah wing.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said the soldiers had planned to arrest the Palestinians but opened fire after spotting weapons. The Islamic Jihad men had been involved in attacks, she said.
Another Islamic Jihad militant was killed by Israeli troops earlier in the West Bank town of Tulkarm.
Israel has played down speculation a formal ceasefire could be imminent. Olmert offered to halt attacks on Gaza if there are no rocket launches, but Israel argues that its West Bank raids are needed to stop militants from striking.
Tzahi Hanegbi, a senior legislator from Olmert's Kadima party, said Wednesday's operation was aimed at "settling an old score" against gunmen who had carried out attacks in the past against Israelis.
"That in itself is a policy that we must uphold, to settle scores," Hanegbi told Israel Radio when asked if the killings were necessary in light of Egypt's truce efforts.
At least 12 rockets were fired from Gaza on Thursday. A house was damaged but there were no casualties, the Israeli military said.
"This was our initial response," an Islamic Jihad spokesman said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080313/ts_nm/palestinians_israel_dc;_ylt=Asm3B6ywGy7EEyy.wCBour pZ.3QA