Two rockets fired by terrorists within the Palestinian Hamas Authority area of Gaza landed in the fields of Kibbutz Mavkiim, halfway between Gaza and Ashkelon. No damage other than large holes in the fields was reported. A fourth rocket landed in the sea.
The IDF began responding early this morning with heavy artillery fire towards the areas of launching in Gaza - generally empty fields. Jewish residents in the area complain about the constant artillery blasts.
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union) said, "Olmert will apparently stop making light of the lives of the western Negev residents only if a Kassam falls next to his house. The residents are given to the dangers of rockets every single day."
In an incident early this morning south of Kisufim, the former entrance to Gush Katif, Arab gunmen fired at an IDF force. No one was hurt. At the Erez Crossing into central Gaza, a terrorist was apprehended with a knife on his person.
Three Arabs were killed this morning in inter-PA fighting that some say are the early signs of a civil war. The fighting erupted in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, between Fatah forces backing PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas terrorists.
Abbas and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh met over the weekend, but failed to resolve the disputes between them over which group would control which security organ. Haniyeh resorted to yelling at Abbas over the latter's refusal to free up PA funds to pay government salaries.
In possibly his first decision in office, Defense Minister Amir Peretz lightened up last night on the general closure on the Arab population in Judea and Samaria. Eight thousand married workers aged 35 and over will be allowed to enter Israel for work, and several thousand more will be allowed in under other clauses.
Upon entering his new office yesterday, Peretz said, "I feel the increasing yoke of responsibility with every step... True, I am a Defense Minister with a social-civil orientation, but I don't see a contradiction between the two. On the contrary; the IDF is the army of the people, and we must make sure it remains as such." Israel will have to "deal at the same time with burning defense issues and with the need to bridge the social gaps in the nation," Peretz added. "We will have to advance diplomatic processes, gradually formulate our permanent borders, deal with cruel local and worldwide terrorism and new existential threats on the State of Israel. We will have to find the golden path between the need to guarantee our defense needs and the critical need to deal with our socio-economic problems."
The IDF began responding early this morning with heavy artillery fire towards the areas of launching in Gaza - generally empty fields. Jewish residents in the area complain about the constant artillery blasts.
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union) said, "Olmert will apparently stop making light of the lives of the western Negev residents only if a Kassam falls next to his house. The residents are given to the dangers of rockets every single day."
In an incident early this morning south of Kisufim, the former entrance to Gush Katif, Arab gunmen fired at an IDF force. No one was hurt. At the Erez Crossing into central Gaza, a terrorist was apprehended with a knife on his person.
Three Arabs were killed this morning in inter-PA fighting that some say are the early signs of a civil war. The fighting erupted in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, between Fatah forces backing PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas terrorists.
Abbas and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh met over the weekend, but failed to resolve the disputes between them over which group would control which security organ. Haniyeh resorted to yelling at Abbas over the latter's refusal to free up PA funds to pay government salaries.
In possibly his first decision in office, Defense Minister Amir Peretz lightened up last night on the general closure on the Arab population in Judea and Samaria. Eight thousand married workers aged 35 and over will be allowed to enter Israel for work, and several thousand more will be allowed in under other clauses.
Upon entering his new office yesterday, Peretz said, "I feel the increasing yoke of responsibility with every step... True, I am a Defense Minister with a social-civil orientation, but I don't see a contradiction between the two. On the contrary; the IDF is the army of the people, and we must make sure it remains as such." Israel will have to "deal at the same time with burning defense issues and with the need to bridge the social gaps in the nation," Peretz added. "We will have to advance diplomatic processes, gradually formulate our permanent borders, deal with cruel local and worldwide terrorism and new existential threats on the State of Israel. We will have to find the golden path between the need to guarantee our defense needs and the critical need to deal with our socio-economic problems."