Arab terrorists exploded more Kassam rockets before dawn Wednesday on Jewish towns in Gaza and in the western Negev. No one was injured and no damage was reported. One Chinese and two Arab workers were killed in Tuesday's Kassam rocket attacks on Ganei Tal greenhouses in southern Gaza, and six others were injured.
The three rockets that struck the Negev town of Sderot yesterday were followed by a visit from the new IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, who warned that the army's patience is running out. He repeated the declaration often made by politicians that the planned disengagement will not take place under fire.
The Palestinian Authority's Saeb Erakat, responsible for negotiations with Israel, said, "The whole ceasefire may collapse." PA Interior Minister Nasser Yousef Wednesday said it was concerned "that Israeli forces might launch a large offense in Gaza."
Minister Matan Vilnai (Labor), a former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff and a supporter of the proposed evacuation, admitted that the army may need to stage a major assault against terrorists before the planned evacuation in mid-August. "If there is shelling, there should be a wide operation to prevent this fire."
Chief of Staff Halutz said the rocket attacks prove the weakness of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to combat terrorism, and added, "We will do everything required of us at a time and place we choose." Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz warned Wednesday morning that "there is a limit" to Israel's patience.
Several military officials have complained about government orders prohibiting them from firing back at terrorists. Two weeks ago, senior officers kept soldiers waiting for more than two hours before allowing them to retaliate to terrorists attacks against the town of Kfar Darom. After the waiting period, the IDF soldiers were permitted to retaliate "without intention to kill."
One soldier who is part of a team that mans a huge bulldozer said he "could see the eyes" of Arab terrorists who shot three rocket-propelled grenades at his bulldozer. When he asked for permission to shoot back, his superior told him, "This week's orders are not to shoot back, and it will take three weeks before we get approval." The soldier spoke on condition on anonymity.
The government has said it has kept the military from retaliating to the increasingly frequent rocket and mortar shelling in order to allow PA chairman Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) to prove he is in control.
Abbas is scheduled today to visit Gaza, where Hamas has established itself as a rival authority.
The PA did not denounce the terrorist attacks, as it has done in the past, but instead accused Israel of an "ugly crime" in Tuesday's operation in Samaria which eliminated Marwah Tawfiq Kemayel, the 27-year-old leader of the Islamic Jihad terrorist gang.
IDF officials said that soldiers carried out the mission because the terrorist mastermind was planning an attack against Israel. The army also killed one other terrorist leader in the maneuver, which is accordance with the Sharm el-Sheikh summit agreement that allows Israel to act against "ticking bombs."
IDF officers several months ago warned that terrorists were using the relative calm after the summit talks to stockpile more and advanced weapons. The Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist groups said they have escalated their attacks as retaliation against the IDF operation against Kemayel yesterday and because of the incident on the Temple Mount Monday. Hundreds of Arabs stoned police and Jewish worshippers who visited the holy site on Jerusalem Day. The police responded by dispersing the Arab assailants. However, the PA reported that Israel "stormed" the mosque on the Temple Mount and attacked Arab worshippers.
Greenhouses in Ganei Tal, the target of Tuesday's attacks
The three rockets that struck the Negev town of Sderot yesterday were followed by a visit from the new IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, who warned that the army's patience is running out. He repeated the declaration often made by politicians that the planned disengagement will not take place under fire.
The Palestinian Authority's Saeb Erakat, responsible for negotiations with Israel, said, "The whole ceasefire may collapse." PA Interior Minister Nasser Yousef Wednesday said it was concerned "that Israeli forces might launch a large offense in Gaza."
Minister Matan Vilnai (Labor), a former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff and a supporter of the proposed evacuation, admitted that the army may need to stage a major assault against terrorists before the planned evacuation in mid-August. "If there is shelling, there should be a wide operation to prevent this fire."
Chief of Staff Halutz said the rocket attacks prove the weakness of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to combat terrorism, and added, "We will do everything required of us at a time and place we choose." Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz warned Wednesday morning that "there is a limit" to Israel's patience.
Several military officials have complained about government orders prohibiting them from firing back at terrorists. Two weeks ago, senior officers kept soldiers waiting for more than two hours before allowing them to retaliate to terrorists attacks against the town of Kfar Darom. After the waiting period, the IDF soldiers were permitted to retaliate "without intention to kill."
One soldier who is part of a team that mans a huge bulldozer said he "could see the eyes" of Arab terrorists who shot three rocket-propelled grenades at his bulldozer. When he asked for permission to shoot back, his superior told him, "This week's orders are not to shoot back, and it will take three weeks before we get approval." The soldier spoke on condition on anonymity.
The government has said it has kept the military from retaliating to the increasingly frequent rocket and mortar shelling in order to allow PA chairman Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) to prove he is in control.
Abbas is scheduled today to visit Gaza, where Hamas has established itself as a rival authority.
The PA did not denounce the terrorist attacks, as it has done in the past, but instead accused Israel of an "ugly crime" in Tuesday's operation in Samaria which eliminated Marwah Tawfiq Kemayel, the 27-year-old leader of the Islamic Jihad terrorist gang.
IDF officials said that soldiers carried out the mission because the terrorist mastermind was planning an attack against Israel. The army also killed one other terrorist leader in the maneuver, which is accordance with the Sharm el-Sheikh summit agreement that allows Israel to act against "ticking bombs."
IDF officers several months ago warned that terrorists were using the relative calm after the summit talks to stockpile more and advanced weapons. The Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist groups said they have escalated their attacks as retaliation against the IDF operation against Kemayel yesterday and because of the incident on the Temple Mount Monday. Hundreds of Arabs stoned police and Jewish worshippers who visited the holy site on Jerusalem Day. The police responded by dispersing the Arab assailants. However, the PA reported that Israel "stormed" the mosque on the Temple Mount and attacked Arab worshippers.