Police destroy third 'barrel bomb' washed ashore south of Tel Aviv
Two barrels found earlier this week were packed with TNT and rigged for detonation by cellphone.
By Yuval Azoulay and Anshel Pfeffer Tags: Gaza Israel newsPolice on Wednesday said they had destroyed the third explosive device washed ashore in Israel this week.
Bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion at Palmachim beach, some 10 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, police said.
Two barrels packed with explosive charges were picked up on Israeli beaches at Ashkelon and Ashdod on Monday. Two more are believed to have exploded on the shores of the Gaza Strip.
Each was of a similar size, containing between 15kg and 20kg of TNT explosives and designed to be detonated by a signal from a cellular telephone, a senior navy official told Haaretz on Tuesday night.
The barrels were probably launched from Palestinian fishing vessels, the official said, adding that it was likely more explosives would be found in the coming days.
On Monday the Gaza-based militant group Islamic Jihad reportedly claimed reponsibility for dispatching the first two bombs.
During Tuesday night Israel launched air strikes against several buildings in Gaza and smuggling tunnels beneath Egypt's border with the strip, as a response to both the launch of the barrel bombs and to rockets fired at Israel from within the Hamas-controlled territory.
Late on Wednesday afternoon Army Radio reported that two more objects resembling the earlier barrel bombs had been spotted floating off Netanya.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
Predominantly Nth to Sth. These barrels of explosive are like those used for illegal deep water fishing.
The difference is Mr. Lincoln is that Israel's military doesn't hide behind its citizens and launch rockets from between its people's apartment buildings and next to schools.
"Hamas continues to target civilians." - utagawa So does Israel. Who do you think are the targets of the Gaza blockade? Who were the targets of Cast Lead? Neither side can hurt the military presence of the other, so they are BOTH reduced to targeting the civilians.
"Wasnt the law broken wwhen it landed on beaches that civilians use??" - Tobias Yes. But then Israel has rejected the concept of 'international law' and refuses to be bound by it. So if I were you i wouldn't bring the issue of 'International Law' up. Israel refuses to admit anything like 'international law' exist.
This means 30-60 kg of explosives have been wasted by Islamic Jihad. Keep those barrels coming IJ and keep destroying them Israel! Every kilogram of explosives smuggled into Gaza and wasted on a barrel floated towards Israel is a kilo of explosives wasted. Keep it up Islamic Jidhad. You are wasting resources, and that is good.
Hamas continues to target civilians.
I must have missed Rudy's letter condeming 6000 hamas rockets!
These "Barrel Bombs" are not the best tool to fight the invaders. Strong tides could, Heaven forbid, return these bombs back to the Gaza coast. Innocent Palestinians could be injured or even killed.
If it is true that Palestinian fishing vessels are being used to float bombs into Israeli waters then noone should complain when they are sunk by the Israeli Navy. Those who live by the bomb will die by the bomb. Those who elected Hamas to represent them made a big, big mistake.
better kept secret.
And when one of these "toys" floats onto the beach in the Gaza Strip, and blows 6 kids up, three guesses who gets blamed. First 2 1/2 guesses don't count.
Since Gaza has chosen to use its fishing boats to deliver bombs to Israeli civilian beaches, and its civil cellphone repeaters infrastructure to detonate them, Israel now has the legal right under international law to destroy those weapons, and bar Gaza from using fishing boats or cellphones in the future. Whether Goldstone likes it or not.
He seemingly only gets "shocked "when it suits him, then he gets "shocked to the core" and the UN rewards him.Thats the way to become a high ranking official in the UN. Apparently they used to calll him "Richard Richard" in SA because he wanted to become like Boutros Boutros a leader in the UN.
Wasnt the law broken wwhen it landed on beaches that civilians use??? Un how come you have not spoken out.??? Forgive me for asking that question. Israel isnt to blame what do we care.
mediter\anean in danger. and to think that the countries around are hamas friends.
Where is the humanity? Human right champions where are you. Nathalie and the others why don't you comment anything? Aby
Hamas has nthing to show for its takeover of power in Gaza - no rise in the standard of living, no improvement of relations with the major Arab powers, no military victories. So again it, or its proxies, such as Islamic Jihad - is resorting to the only thing in which it has shown ingenuity 0 terror.
Something does not make complete sense. If the bombs are cell phone activated then why do the callers not blow up the barrels when the Israeli sappers are working to disarm them. Where is the surveillance of the Palestinian callers.
I read that there is a shortage of fish in Gaza..so maybe it is a novel way to catch fish. But whatever, the purpose would not be to harm 'civilians'....we will no doubt soon be told
Probably aiming for military targets again, right?
Israel going after killers, EXCELLENT!! This time, Israel should not stop the offensive until the job is done (if possible) and Gilad Shalit is home!!!