By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff
Apr 10, 2005
Palestinian Arab terrorists fired nearly 100 mortar shells and rockets at Israeli Jews living in and around the Gaza Strip over the weekend, miraculously causing no casualties.
Several homes and public buildings in the Katif Bloc settlement of Neve Dekalim in southern Gaza sustained damage. A horse was also killed in Neve Dekalim.
The “Palestinians” say the enormous barrage was launched in retaliation for the killing of three Arab youths by IDF soldiers along the Gaza-Sinai border Saturday afternoon.
IDF officials said the teenage boys were helping to smuggle illegal weapons into PA-controlled areas of Gaza.
That assessment was later corroborated by PA security officials after they questioned two more members of the group who managed to escape back into the town of Rafiah.
The “Palestinians” have increased arms smuggling operations of late in what Israeli defense officials believe is preparation for a full renewal of hostilities against the Jews following Israel’s planned retreat from the Gaza Strip.
Despite their involvement in terrorist activity, PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas called the IDF’s killing of the three boys a deliberate provocation.
“The Palestinians who were killed were unarmed children and did not constitute a threat to Israel,” Abbas claimed.
“Palestinian” terror groups said they were no longer bound to a temporary ceasefire hammered out between them and Abbas, and threatened to continue attacking local Jews.
Defense Minister Sha’ul Mofaz contacted PA Minister Nasser Yussuf Saturday night to demand the Abbas regime take decisive actions to halt the deteriorating situation, Army Radio reported.
When the first rocket was fired from northern Gaza at the Negev town of Sderot on Thursday, prior to the Gaza border incident, Mofaz declared the situation intolerable, and insisted Abbas prevent it from happening again.
The PLO chief’s apparent justification of such aggression by terming the prevention of further arms smuggling a “provocation” indicated he would not be acquiescing to Mofaz’s request.