Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., March 28, 2008 Adar2 22, 5768 | | Israel Time: 05:02 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

After two weeks of quiet, Negev slammed by 15 Qassam rockets By Avi Issacharoff, Amos Harel, Yuval Azoulay and Mijal Grinberg Approximately 15 Qassam rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip against the western Negev yesterday. Two Israeli citizens were lightly injured in Sderot while another Israeli was lightly wounded when he was shot by a sniper as he worked the fields of Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha, near the border with the Gaza Strip. Israeli security forces meanwhile yesterday arrested a senior Hamas operative from Tul Karm, Omar Jaber, who reportedly played a key role in organizing the Passover-eve suicide bombing at Netanya's Park Hotel, six years ago today. Advertisement In that attack, 30 Israelis were murdered and 143 wounded when a terrorist blew himself up in the hotel dining room while the Seder service was in progress. After a lull of nearly two weeks, in which fighting in the south was almost non-existent, the Palestinians fired at least 15 rockets at western Negev communities. In the morning seven rockets were fired, one of them striking a children's bus stop at Kibbutz Miflasim. No injuries were reported. At approximately 10 P.M., at least eight Qassam rockets were fired at Sderot, lightly injuring two residents there. They were evacuated to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. Palestinian sources said that the Islamic Jihad was responsible for the rocket attacks. Hamas has not participated in the fighting for nearly three weeks, which Israeli sources attribute to concerns within the group that its leadership will be targeted in retaliation. The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security service arrested Jaber in a pre-dawn raid yesterday on the house of one of his operatives, near Tul Karm. He tried to flee, but was caught by the soldiers. IDF sources said that Jaber was directly responsible for recruiting Hamas operatives, including the man who drove the bomber to the hotel, and also served as the go-between with the head of Hamas' Tul Karm network at the time, Abbas Sayid. Jaber, 56, is a veteran member of Hamas. He was jailed in Israel in 1994, but was released several years later. The IDF sector commander for Tul Karm and Qalqilyah, Colonel Eran Niv, told Haaretz that Jaber rebuilt Hamas' terror network in Tul Karm over the past year - recruiting operatives, supplying arms, obtaining funds, and planning terror attacks. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Graphic footage Israel posts clips on YouTube of Jerusalem yeshiva terror attack. Remembering Gaza Knesset approves bill to commemorate the Jewish settlements of Gush Katif.

Today Online Israel posts clips on YouTube of Jerusalem yeshiva terror attack Responses: 46 Rights group: Deaths in IDF W. Bank raid were apparent executions Responses: 216 Top rabbis: Harvesting organs of the brain dead is `bloodshed` Responses: 64 Defense officials: Hezbollah rockets can reach almost all of Israel Responses: 205 More Headlines 01:57 Hamas smuggles Iranian blueprints into Strip for Qassam upgrades 22:43 Arab FMs re-endorse 2002 Saudi peace initiative 01:15 Rice will discuss final-status talks during Mideast visit 01:30 Dutch MP's anti-Islam film highlights anti-Jewish preaching 01:50 Bulgaria accepts blame for deaths of 11,000 Jews in Shoah 01:29 Lieberman stripped of attorney-client privilege in bribery probe 21:10 Ex-High Court chief: State must bring all Ethiopian Jews to Israel 01:37 Israeli ties to win top prize in prestigious Rubinstein competition 17:40 Defense officials: Hezbollah rockets can reach almost all of Israel 23:08 Druze colonel appointed to be president's next military secretary 14:20 Egypt holds new talks with Hamas, Jihad over truce with Israel 20:29 Treasury official: Economically, Israel is a bi-national state 00:31 Tel Aviv goes dark as part of global 'Earth Hour' campaign Previous Editions Select Day 27 mar 26 mar 25 mar 24 mar 23 mar 21 mar 20 mar 19 mar 18 mar 17 mar 16 mar 14 mar

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