A 122 mm Katyusha missile landed near a hotel north of the Ashkelon Thursday, marking the farthest a missile or rocket has been fired from Gaza thus far. Fatah terrorists say they launched a Kassam-type rocket at a Jewish community in Samaria on Wednesday from Jenin.
The Grad-type Katyusha missile slammed into an area near a hotel north of Ashkelon, one of Israel’s largest cities. The 122 mm missile landed near an area where Jews evicted from Gaza during the 2005 Disengagement have been living in caravan homes. No injuries were reported.
Katyusha rockets were widely used by Hizbullah to bombard northern Israel during the Second Lebanon War. They have already in the past been fired toward Ashkelon and Eilat, but have not yet come into wide use. The longer-range rockets place hundreds of thousands of Israelis under fire, in addition to those already living around Gaza.
Members of Fatah’s Al-Aksa Brigades, said they fired a rocket Wednesday evening at the community of Shaked. The IDF said it had not registered any rocket impact in the area, but it is known that rocket-manufacturing is one of the top priorities of terrorists groups in the region.
A Kassam rocket landed near Zikim, in the western Negev, Wednesday night. No injuries were reported.
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union) said Thursday's Katyusha attack on northern Ashkelon was proof that the 2005 Disengagement from Gaza and northern Samaria failed to produce the promised results. He pointed out that the missile fell in an area with many evictees from Gush Katif. "Where are the hypocrites who justified the expulsion by saying the country had to protect the lives of [Gush Katif] residents?" he said. "I am sorry to say that the day the Prime Minister will bear responsibility for bloodshed is not far away. The IDF must conduct a massive ground operation in Gaza until the entire terrorist infrastructure is completely destroyed."
Other Attacks and Counter-Terrorism
A 16-year-old Arab stabbed a 40-year-old Jewish man outside the Alonit shopping center in Karkur, in north-central Israel. The victim was evacuated to a hospital in light to moderate condition.
The stabber, a resident of nearby Jat, was caught by police with the knife still in his possession. He was arrested and taken to interrogation.
An IAF air strike on a car carrying terrorists in Gaza’s Beit Lahiya region Wednesday failed to kill its target, a senior terrorist from the Hizbullah-backed Popular Resistance Committee known as Abu Sha'aban, but it did cause him moderate wounds. Two other terrorists who were with Abu Sha'aban were also wounded. Arab sources say all of the casualties were in light to moderate condition. The IDF confirmed the attack and said it was the result of Shabak (General Security Service) intelligence assistance.
Golani Brigade soldiers engaged terrorists in gun battles in southern Gaza overnight Wednesday and early Thursday. At least one terrorist was killed and seven wounded in the fighting. No IDF injuries were reported.
An IDF force discovered a handgun in a car driven by Arabs in Hevron Wednesday night. The car's driver and a passenger were arrested.
Gaza Arabs carried out a combined attack on the security fence near Nahal Oz Wednesday. A mortar shell was fired at the fence, and shots were fired at the construction workers carrying out engineering works near the fence. No one was hurt.
IDF soldier operating in Ramallah and Shechem Wednesday night came under fire. No injuries were reported.
Security forces arrested 28 wanted terrorists overnight in Judea and Samaria. Most of them were arrested in the cities of Ramallah, Shechem and Bethlehem and their environs.
All of those arrested were taken to Shabak interrogation.