Situation remains uncertain

CYNTHIA RAMSAY

Eight Israelis were killed and more than 30 were injured in a series of terrorist attacks that took place on Aug. 18. From that Thursday to Sunday, more than 100 rockets were fired on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing one Israeli and injuring many others. In response, the Israel Defence Forces, among other actions, “pursued and killed a number of the terrorists responsible for the attacks,” according to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The terrorists originated in the Gaza Strip and crossed into Israel via Egypt. According to the MFA, “The coordinated terrorist attacks on Israeli civilian vehicles began at about noon, when gunfire was opened at an Israeli bus; 14 people were injured and evacuated to nearby hospitals. Simultaneously, fire was opened on an additional bus and two civilian vehicles, injuring several people.

“An explosive device was detonated on IDF soldiers that arrived at the scene a short while afterwards, injuring several of them.

“Several mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip at soldiers conducting routine maintenance work on the security fence on the Israel-Egypt border. IDF forces pursued the terrorists who carried out the attacks and exchanged fire with them.”

In an Aug. 20 statement, Israel Defence Minister Ehud Barak said that “most of the perpetrators were killed and the senior terrorists responsible for the attack were killed shortly after it. Over the last two days, Israel has been hitting back hard at those responsible for the attack in the south, and is acting with efficiency against the launching of Grad missiles and rockets from Gaza in order to protect the citizens of Israel.”

According to the MFA, more than 20 rockets hit Israel on Sunday, Aug. 21, one of which struck a high school in Beersheva; at that time, more than 100 rockets – including one that killed a man, another that injured a nine-year-old and a baby, and one that contained phosphorus – had been launched since the Thursday attacks. The city of Ashkelon was also hit by rockets, according to the IDF website, which noted that, “Approximately 10 rockets have been successfully intercepted by the Iron Dome system in recent days.”

In addition to commending the response of the IDF and the security services to the attacks, and expressing his “condolences to the families of the civilians murdered, and to those of the soldiers who fell while responding to today’s terrorist attacks,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said in an Aug. 18 statement, “We all witnessed today an attempt to escalate the terrorist war against Israel by launching of attacks from the Sinai. If there is someone who thinks that the state of Israel will let this pass, he is mistaken.

“I have set out a principle – when the citizens of Israel are attacked, we respond immediately and with strength. That principle was implemented today. Those who gave the order to murder our citizens, while hiding in Gaza, are no longer among the living.”

In an Aug. 19 statement, the IDF noted that the Israeli air force had “targeted a building housing senior Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) militants responsible for carrying out the attacks,” as well as five squads of terrorists who had fired rockets and mortars at Israel and “15 terror sites across the Gaza Strip, including terrorist infrastructures, terrorist outposts, smuggling tunnels, terror tunnels used for storage of weapons and rockets to attack Israel, and manufacturing facilities.”

According to the Media Line news service, IDF spokesman Brig.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai said on Israel Radio that the terrorist attacks were facilitated, in part, by the current lawlessness in Egypt’s Sinai region. Media Line, which is based in New York City, also cited a statement by Barak, in which he said that the series of attacks “reflects Egypt’s weakening grip on Sinai and widening of actions by terror elements.” The news service noted that the attacks have broken “a relatively extended period without major attacks on Israelis. However, saboteurs have blown up the Egyptian-Israeli gas pipeline at least five times in as many months.”

Israeli newspapers such as Yediot Aharonot and the Jerusalem Post have criticized what they perceive as the Israeli government’s slowness in comprehending the new realities of Israel’s relationship with Egypt, while editorials in papers such as Ma’ariv and Haaretz have called for restraint and a focus on internal socio-economic issues.

In his Aug. 20 statement, Barak stressed the importance of the peace treaty with Egypt, as well as an appreciation for Egypt’s “reasonableness” in light of what has happened. As one of Israel’s defensive actions killed Egyptian forces, Barak also stated: “We regret the deaths of members of the Egyptian security forces during the terror attack on the Israeli-Egyptian border.” He has ordered an IDF investigation, followed by a joint examination with the Egyptian military, to examine what happened.

On Monday, rockets continued to be launched at Israel, although it was reported that Hamas had called for a ceasefire by the Palestinian factions responsible for the bombings. Regardless, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories noted in an Aug. 22 release that “Israel has approved the opening of the crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip.” According to COGAT, from Aug. 18-22, 156 people passed through Erez Crossing, including “100 patients and companions exited for medical treatment in Israel,” and Kerem Shalom Crossing opened for a few hours “for the transfer of 80 truckloads of goods (2,554 tons) and 46 tons of cooking gas.”

According to the Aug. 22 Jerusalem Post, “At a late-night meeting with security cabinet ministers, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu concluded that Israel will not respond to any attacks from Gaza with a large-scale operation.”

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