Fatah Promises 'Hundreds of Rockets' in Further Israeli Escalation
Pastor Dale Morgan
Fatah Promises 'Hundreds of Rockets' in Further Israeli Escalation*
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
(IsraelNN.com) A wing of the Fatah organization, headed by Palestinian
Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, stated Thursday that it has begun an
escalation in attacks on Israeli towns in the Negev. The terrorist group
already claimed it was behind a barrage of rockets from Gaza that struck
Sderot and its environs earlier in the day.
Brigades spokesmen called upon the residents of the city of Sderot to
leave their homes.
Fatah, through its Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades arm, said that the Thursday
rocket fire was part of an planned series of hundreds of rocket attacks
the group has dubbed "Gaza Autumn." In their announcement of the
operation, Brigades spokesmen called upon the residents of the city of
Sderot to leave their homes and warned that Fatah will continue to
bombard Israeli communities in the Negev.
The group said the attacks would be a response to "the evil Balfour
declaration," which was issued 90 years ago this Friday. The Balfour
Declaration paved the way for the creation of a Jewish state in the Land
of Israel. Spokesmen for Fatah in Gaza boasted that their organization
has carried out dozens of attacks on nearby Jewish towns.
Meanwhile, Hamas, the Islamist terrorist organization running the PA in
Gaza, called upon all the competing PA armed factions to prepare for an
Israeli incursion into Gaza in the near future. Hamas spokesmen
suggested that all the factions declare a state of emergency and set up
a joint command center in Gaza. The organization went on to promise
victory against Israel in any imminent conflict.
An apparent would-be suicide terrorist attack was thwarted on Thursday
near Shechem, despite the presence of women from the left-wing
MachsomWatch organizations. MKs visiting the area were unhurt.
IDF Operations Disrupt Gaza Smuggling
Israeli soldiers and General Security Services (GSS) agents uncovered
seven weapons smuggling tunnels in 36 hours, an IDF spokesperson said
Thursday. The tunnels were found in the southern city of Dahania during
operations to stop rocket and mortar shell attacks from the area.
The mouths of the tunnels, part of the Hamas' weapons supply mechanism,
were located approximately 1.5 meters from the Egyptian border.
Officials say the tunnels were used recently by Hamas operatives to
smuggle terrorists to and from Egypt.
The forces also discovered three explosive devices, planted and ready
for deployment against IDF soldiers. The tunnels and the explosive
devices were disposed of in controlled explosions by IDF sappers.
During the operation in the southern stretch of the Gaza region, IDF
forces arrested an Arab resident of the PA who is suspected of terrorist
activity. He was taken for questioning by security forces.