The offensive was aimed at stopping the constant terrorist firing of rockets and mortar shells upon the communities of Gush Katif and the western Negev.
The Army pulled back soldiers from the PA-controlled city of Khan Yunis, in Gaza, following a 48-hours operation termed, "Orange Iron," which targeted and destroyed munitions factories and sites used by terrorists to launched rockets and mortar shells. No serious injuries to IDF soldiers were reported during the entire operation.
Despite the IDF's upper hand in the battle, Arab terrorists Saturday night managed to fire four Kassam rockets into the Sderot area in the western Negev, east of Ashkelon. Two of the rockets fell in a residential area but there were no injuries, reported Sderot mayor Eli Muyal. Another rocket damaged a parked car and a building nearby.
Defense officials ordered the Army to withdraw to the outskirts of the city. IDF commander Ofer Winter said earlier Saturday that his "forces are prepared to stay…for as long as it takes to secure quiet for the Israeli communities."
Israel launched operation "Orange Iron" two days ago following weeks of intense shelling of the Jewish communities in southern Gaza, several miles south of Ashkelon. Mortar shells have hit schools and houses and injured several residents and killed a female foreign worker. Even after the deadly tunnel explosion last week that killed five Bedouin IDF soldiers, the government held back from a large-scale retaliation in order to keep a low profile prior to the upcoming PA elections to choose a successor to PLO chief Yasser Arafat.
PA leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) accused Israel Saturday of retaliating in order to disrupt the PA elections, slated to take place January 9. Abu Mazen recently called on Arabs to stop violence and rely on negotiations to win concessions from Israel. The PLO co-founder failed to condemn the terrorist tunnel attack, which killed five soldiers, though.
Arabs have been digging tunnels for several years to smuggle arms and drugs. One such tunnel collapsed atop six Arabs Friday. The tunnelers were subsequently rescued by IDF personnel after the PA reported they had been killed.
Israeli Army forces attacked two weapons factories in Gaza City, north of Khan Yunis, Friday, and also hit a Hamas weapons factory. Another factory was also destroyed in Rafiah, on the Egyptian border.
The Army pulled back soldiers from the PA-controlled city of Khan Yunis, in Gaza, following a 48-hours operation termed, "Orange Iron," which targeted and destroyed munitions factories and sites used by terrorists to launched rockets and mortar shells. No serious injuries to IDF soldiers were reported during the entire operation.
Despite the IDF's upper hand in the battle, Arab terrorists Saturday night managed to fire four Kassam rockets into the Sderot area in the western Negev, east of Ashkelon. Two of the rockets fell in a residential area but there were no injuries, reported Sderot mayor Eli Muyal. Another rocket damaged a parked car and a building nearby.
Defense officials ordered the Army to withdraw to the outskirts of the city. IDF commander Ofer Winter said earlier Saturday that his "forces are prepared to stay…for as long as it takes to secure quiet for the Israeli communities."
Israel launched operation "Orange Iron" two days ago following weeks of intense shelling of the Jewish communities in southern Gaza, several miles south of Ashkelon. Mortar shells have hit schools and houses and injured several residents and killed a female foreign worker. Even after the deadly tunnel explosion last week that killed five Bedouin IDF soldiers, the government held back from a large-scale retaliation in order to keep a low profile prior to the upcoming PA elections to choose a successor to PLO chief Yasser Arafat.
PA leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) accused Israel Saturday of retaliating in order to disrupt the PA elections, slated to take place January 9. Abu Mazen recently called on Arabs to stop violence and rely on negotiations to win concessions from Israel. The PLO co-founder failed to condemn the terrorist tunnel attack, which killed five soldiers, though.
Arabs have been digging tunnels for several years to smuggle arms and drugs. One such tunnel collapsed atop six Arabs Friday. The tunnelers were subsequently rescued by IDF personnel after the PA reported they had been killed.
Israeli Army forces attacked two weapons factories in Gaza City, north of Khan Yunis, Friday, and also hit a Hamas weapons factory. Another factory was also destroyed in Rafiah, on the Egyptian border.