Sunday, August 21, 2011

21-Aug-11: The ongoing barrage on southern Israel

The IDF reports that more than 30 rockets and mortars have been fired into Israel so far today. This evening's talley includes:
  • Qassam rocket exploded in an open field in the Eshkol region just before 8 this evening; no injuries reported and no damage [YNet]
  • Around the same time, several mortar shells were fired at Kerem Shalom, a kibbutz in the Eshkol region. One was a phosphorus bomb that failed to detonate. Again: no injuries, no damage [YNet]. It's worth noting that there is a crossing point located at Kerem Shalom, through which goods are routinely transferred for the benefit of the Palestinian Arab population of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. To get a sense of what asynchronous warfare means, consider this: the transfer of goods from Israel to Gaza continued today, Sunday, despite the ongoing hail of rockets on Israel, and the fact that even Kerem Shalom itself was targeted by the jihadists. The picture of the goods-laden truck below was taken today - here's the source.  
Kerem Shalom today: under fire, and still functioning as a crossing
point for Gaza-bound relief

  • Around 7 this evening, a Qassam rocket was fired from northern Gaza into the Sha'ar Hanegev region, crashing into an open area [Ynet].
An AP article syndicated tonight points out that Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005 and since then, under Hamas rule, Gaza's terrorists (AP terms them militants) have increased the quality and range of their rocket arsenals. Most of the rockets launched since Thursday have been military-grade Katyushas smuggled in through tunnels from Egypt.

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