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Damage caused by a Qassam strike on Sderot on Tuesday. (David Boimovich / Jini)
Last update - 01:07 07/02/2008
Hamas: More suicide attacks on Israel to come
By Mijal Grinberg, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press
Tags: Gaza, Qassam rockets 

Hamas' representative in Iran, Dr. Abu Osama Abd al-Moti, said on Wednesday that the militant group's armed wing has renewed its suicide bombings inside Israel, and that Israel should expect additional bombings. According to Palestinian sources, seven Palestinians were injured in Israel Air Force strikes on the Gaza Strip late Wednesday.

Hamas claimed responsibility for its first suicide attack since 2004 on Monday, after a bombing in the southern town of Dimona on Monday, which killed one woman.

"For more than a year, we stopped [attacks] but the Zionist enemy continued in its aggression and degraded the ceasefire on the part of the resistance. The message of the operation in Dimona is that Izz al-Din al-Qassam [Hamas' military wing] declared the renewal of suicide operations, and the enemy should expect additional operations."
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Earlier on Wednesday, a Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck Kibbutz Be'eri in the western Negev, lightly wounding two young girls. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

The girls, aged two and 12, were wounded by shrapnel from the rocket, which struck a playground. The "Red Color" rocket alert system did not go off before the strike. They were taken to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva.

An 83-year-old woman was asleep in her home next to the site of the strike. The impact of the rocket shattered her window, with the shards falling on her body. She was not hurt.

Later Wednesday evening, an Israel Air Force strike wounded three Palestinian militants in the northern Gaza Strip as they tried to launch Qassams into Israel, Hamas and medical officials said.

An Israel Defense Forces spokesman confirmed the strike on Palestinian gunmen near the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun.

Earlier, four civilians were wounded by two air strikes on an unoccupied metal workshop and a caravan located outside a Hamas security position, the officials said.

The spokesman said the army carried out two attacks on a weapons depot and a weapons manufacturing facility in the central Gaza Strip.

Soon after, another rocket directly struck a house in the western Negev town of Sderot, sending several people into shock. That rocket was the eighth to be fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza on Wednesday. Earlier, Hamas said it had fired a total of 31 rockets into Israel since Tuesday, when the Israel Defense Forces killed nine Hamas militants in two separate operations.

In response, government spokesman Mark Regev said, "These rockets are being fired indiscriminately into civilian population centers. We are obliged as a government to take the necessary steps to protect our people and we will continue to do so. Those extremists shooting rockets are a legitimate target and we will act surgically to strike against hardcore terrorist cells."

Hamas wounded six Israeli civilians and knocked out power in parts of the rocket-scarred southern town of Sderot with a barrage of rockets fired at border communities Tuesday.

Lawmakers in Gaza canceled a session of the Hamas-dominated legislature on Wednesday, fearing an Israeli attack. A day earlier, a senior member of Olmert's Kadima party urged Israel to assassinate Hamas' political leaders.

Gaza militants said the Israel Air Force responded to the rocket salvos with several missile strikes on Gaza overnight, but the military confirmed striking only once at militants who had just launched rockets. Hamas said four of its men were moderately wounded.

Israel indicated that it would not let up in its attacks.

"We need to understand there is a war in the south," Vice Premier Haim Ramon told Israel Radio. "The war against Hamas has to be fought on all fronts."

"Israel will continue to use the economic weapon against the Gaza Strip," said Ramon, a close confidant of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, whose statements often reflect the prime minister's thinking.

Israel cut off virtually all shipments into Gaza three weeks ago, following a surge in Qassam rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip against southern Israel.

On Wednesday, Abbas condemned the militants' rocket fire, but urged Israel to let supplies into Gaza.

"These rockets that are being fired at Israel must stop. It's pointless," he said at a news conference with Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik. "At the same time, Israel should not use these rockets as a pretext for collective punishment on Palestinians in Gaza. Israel must always allow humanitarian supplies and other needs to be provided to Gaza."

Israel insists on an end to violence before it implements any peace agreement, but Abbas has had no control over Gaza since Hamas seized control there last June. Monday's bombers came from the West Bank, not Gaza, giving greater weight to Israel's demand that Abbas take stronger action against militants in the West Bank, too.

Related articles:
  • IDF kills nine Hamas men in Gaza, Qassams rain on Sderot
  • 25 Qassams fired at Israel after deadly IDF Gaza raid
  • Hamas claims responsibility for suicide bombing in Dimona
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      1.   Israel is the most unpopular country in the world... 13:44  |  kaled 06/02/08
      2.   israel=biggest terorist 13:52  |  /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ 06/02/08
      3.   What economics weapon 14:00  |  Hilda 06/02/08
      4.   Kaled`s Opinion 14:00  |  Gary 06/02/08
      5.   WAR AGAINST GAZA IS IMPOSSIBLE 14:24  |  Iskander 06/02/08
      6.   Hi Gary 14:37  |  Kaled 06/02/08
      7.   Keep supporting Hamas, Israel 14:39  |  Mark B. 06/02/08
      8.   Hamas has declared war on Israel 14:52  |  Nechama 06/02/08
      9.   The "Economic weapon" has failed in a big way 14:54  |  Natallie Durson 06/02/08
      10.   yes Kaled 14:54  |  dave 06/02/08
      11.   RAMON 14:57  |  MIKE 06/02/08
      12.   #10 you are right 15:08  |  Vlad 06/02/08
      13.   Rsponse to MIKE 15:21  |  Mark B. 06/02/08
      14.   To Vlad and Dave 15:31  |  Mark B. 06/02/08
      15.   Kaled: Dumbest Poster On the Web 15:36  |  Tex 06/02/08
      16.   NATALIE DURSON 15:48  |  MICHAEL 06/02/08
      17.   Good luck, you fool. 15:59  |  Fortuna Benmayor 06/02/08
      18.   Yes, Ramon. That unmitigated convicted paragon of virtue. 16:04  |  bat yam 06/02/08
      19.   The economic weapon should be used 16:26  |  Ron 06/02/08
      20.   kaled 1 - Popularity 16:48  |  Fish 06/02/08
      21.   Hamas "Lawmakers"? 16:59  |  Fish 06/02/08
      22.   Quoting Abbas... 17:08  |  Esther 06/02/08
      23.   Gaza has its own legislature! 17:10  |  Yonatan 06/02/08
      24.   Kaled and other anti semitic bigots 17:13  |  Andrew 06/02/08
      25.   I thought they claimed to be brave and want to martyr themselves? 17:14  |  Ben 06/02/08
      26.   Fight the terrorists. 17:16  |  Harold Lane 06/02/08
      27.   Relentless War on Terror 17:20  |  Ron 06/02/08
      28.   THESE KIBBUTZIM VOTED FOR QASSAMS 17:21  |  Yishai Kohen 06/02/08
      29.   Lets blow everyone up 17:22  |  Paul Wood 06/02/08
      30.   There is an answer to Qassems 17:28  |  Chris Linthwaite 06/02/08
      31.   Hamas will sudenly pays his bills 17:30  |  Daniel 06/02/08
      32.   #1 Kaled 17:32  |  Robert 06/02/08
      33.   I hope the 2 year old and 4 year old 17:41  |  Lynn 06/02/08
      34.   # 24 Andrew of London...I have been to many sites 17:43  |  Lynn 06/02/08
      35.   Israel needs better PR, much better 17:59  |  Isreal supporter 06/02/08
      36.   #30 Mr Linthwait a lot of talk 17:59  |  Robert 06/02/08
      37.   Lynn nr24 18:02  |  leon 06/02/08
      38.   # 1 Kaled. If so why do you Arabs want it so.? 18:02  |  Stephen. 06/02/08
      39.   Islam is a university 18:08  |  Absolute Truth 06/02/08
      40.   Israel needs an advertising agency - Hamus just wants money 18:09  |  dav zee 06/02/08
      41.   Chris Linthwaite 18:09  |  Phil 06/02/08
      42.   #30,Chris Linthwaite,your logic is perfect 18:10  |  Vlad 06/02/08
      43.   Stop talking and start firing 18:11  |  Bob 06/02/08
      44.   #36 Robert 18:14  |  Chris Linthwaite 06/02/08
      45.   Still and All, the Rockets Shouldn`t be Fired 18:16  |  Natallie Durson 06/02/08
      46.   #30 Linthwaite 18:19  |  Eugene 06/02/08
      47.   why is kaled in rio? 18:23  |  anup 06/02/08
      48.   Mark Regev please tell the truth 18:27  |  Chris Linthwaite 06/02/08
      49.   Haven`t had a chance to check in 18:27  |  Jack Klompus 06/02/08
      50.   some answers 18:31  |  kaled 06/02/08
      51.   #30 Chris- the great military expert of all times 18:35  |  Bob 06/02/08
      52.   PAUL WOOD & CHRIS LINTHWAITTE 18:35  |  World Traveler 06/02/08
      53.   #48 Chris, please stop telling lies 18:37  |  Bob 06/02/08
      54.   #44 Linthwaite is caught lying! 18:40  |  Eugene 06/02/08
      55.   #48 Chris, please tell the truth 18:41  |  Bob 06/02/08
      56.   #48 Chris, the truth is finally coming out 18:43  |  Bob 06/02/08
      57.   #48 Chris. Mark is a busy guy. However.... 18:44  |  Stephen. 06/02/08
      58.   #45 Natallie 18:45  |  Lavi 06/02/08
      59.   Qassams on Sderot. 18:47  |  David Gershon 06/02/08
      60.   Natallie #45 is right - but looking at it wrong 18:56  |  Joe Sittizen 06/02/08
      61.   Phlanx is a Point-Defense System 18:57  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 06/02/08
      62.   sderot 19:02  |  david gold 06/02/08
      63.   #44Chris 19:03  |  Robert 06/02/08
      64.   #44 Chris 19:05  |  Robert 06/02/08
      65.   Dhimmi 19:06  |  Michael Freedman 06/02/08
      66.   bob #51 All Bobs seem to be pretty smart! Chris read Bob`s post 19:08  |  Robert 06/02/08
      67.   #51 Bob 19:09  |  Chris Linthwaite 06/02/08
      68.   this traitorous gangster regime,must be overthrown 19:19  |  chaim 06/02/08
      69.   Stupidity 19:20  |  Cristina 06/02/08
      70.   Re Yishai #28