WITH peace talks underway, the expected sabotage threats of Hamas seemed to come to fruition this week as hostilities and tensions increased dramatically on the Israel-Gaza border.
Nine Kassam rockets were launched from Gaza on Tuesday, Sept. 14, two of them phosphorous bombs, the IDF spokesman confirmed to Haaretz this week.
According to Haaretz, one of the shells exploded in an industrial zone south of Ashkelon, resulting in no injuries or property damage.
The other shells struck open areas near Eshkol, apparently also causing no deaths or injuries.
The IDF responded with air strikes near Rafah in Gaza, killing one Palestinian who was working on a smuggling tunnel in the area.
In the Wednesday Jerusalem Post, Haim Yalin, head of the Eshkol Regional Council, said that phosphorous weapons are banned by the Geneva Convention.
They cause burns among victims and they kill, Yalin told the Post.
This is an agricultural area, and we now have to explain to farmers how to deal with burns in light of the phosphorus mortars.
Yalin also expressed the concern that the escalation in rocket attacks might lead to further use of phosphorous weapons.
We are preparing to go back to the situation that we faced before Operation Cast Lead, when we faced continuous mortar, rocket and sniper attacks, he told the Post.
Haaretz also reported this week that the US embassy in Jordan had issued a warning on Tuesday of a high chance of terror attacks in the Red Sea city of Aqaba over the coming 48 hours.
THE escalation in hostilities, apparently conducted, or at least instigated, by Hamas which has loudly protested the Israeli-Palestinian Authority peace talks currently underway in Israel began well before Tuesdays day of barrages.
Early this week, JTA reported that as of Monday, 10 rocket attacks had been launched against Israel since the start of the High Holidays.
Two rockets launched Monday, Sept. 13, morning landed in open territory near Sderot, according to Israels military.
On Sunday, Israeli soldiers opened fire toward the Gaza border fence after they spotted Palestinians attempting to fire anti-tank missiles into Israel, according to the IDF spokesman.
Three Palestinians were killed in the attack, Israel Radio reported. Gaza sources said they were farmers, Haaretz reported.
Also Sunday, a rocket fired in the early morning landed near a kibbutz orchard in the western Negev.
In an address Sunday to the Israeli Cabinet, Israel Security Agency chief Yuval Disking said that although the quality of Hamas weapons has decreased significantly, he expected an increase in terrorism as Palestinian terrorists attempt to derail the current direct peace talks.
His words were echoed this week by Southern police district head Yucatan Danino, who told Haaretz on Wednesday that police had expected that the peace talks would lead to an increase in terror attacks.
As soon as the diplomatic process began, we made preparations for the eventuality that extremist elements, especially Hamas, would attempt to heat up the situation and launch terrorist attacks, Danino said.
Unfortunately, our preparations were founded on a correct assumption.
But I would also like to stress that we have a very strong home front, made up of resilient residents and local leaders. They are showing leadership and responsibility, and they are cooperating with us fully.
Copyright © 2010 by the Intermountain Jewish News
