Shortly after the IDF successfully completed its first ground operation in Gaza since last August’s unilateral withdrawal, Islamic Jihad terrorists fired a Katyusha rocket in the direction of Ashkelon. The rocket missed its target, landing near Zikim without causing any damage or injuries.
The group issued a statement saying the Katyusha was in retaliation for Israel’s “acts of slaughter and occupation of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.”
The announcement threatened that Islamic Jihad would “continue its struggle against the occupation of the Zionist enemy until the last one is removed from the holy Palestinian land.”
A spokesman for the terrorist organization, using the name “Abu Ahmad,” told the Palestinian Authority’s news agency, Ma’an, that Israel’s “crime” of killing the three terrorists would be met with attacks “deep in the heart of Israel.”
He admitted that the three terrorists were killed on their way to firing rockets at the Israeli city of Ashkelon, just north of Gaza. He said that IDF troops ambushed the terrorists dressed as Arabs and were carrying Kalashnikov rifles typically used by Arab terrorists.
Thousands of enraged Arabs called for Israel’s destruction as they attended funerals for the three men. Abdullah Shami, a leader of the Islamic Jihad spoke at the funeral, promising eternal life for suicide bombers.
He said that Jihad or holy war against Israel was a “holy religious obligation that we will not abandon.” He declared, “We will not stop the struggle. We will not give up or sell our principles. The enemy will get whatever he is afraid of.”
The group issued a statement saying the Katyusha was in retaliation for Israel’s “acts of slaughter and occupation of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.”
The announcement threatened that Islamic Jihad would “continue its struggle against the occupation of the Zionist enemy until the last one is removed from the holy Palestinian land.”
A spokesman for the terrorist organization, using the name “Abu Ahmad,” told the Palestinian Authority’s news agency, Ma’an, that Israel’s “crime” of killing the three terrorists would be met with attacks “deep in the heart of Israel.”
He admitted that the three terrorists were killed on their way to firing rockets at the Israeli city of Ashkelon, just north of Gaza. He said that IDF troops ambushed the terrorists dressed as Arabs and were carrying Kalashnikov rifles typically used by Arab terrorists.
Thousands of enraged Arabs called for Israel’s destruction as they attended funerals for the three men. Abdullah Shami, a leader of the Islamic Jihad spoke at the funeral, promising eternal life for suicide bombers.
He said that Jihad or holy war against Israel was a “holy religious obligation that we will not abandon.” He declared, “We will not stop the struggle. We will not give up or sell our principles. The enemy will get whatever he is afraid of.”