23-Aug-14: Firing from right next to an UNRWA facility in Gaza, the terrorists achieve a strategic hit

Daniel, 4

Far from the scene, the indiscriminate fire of the Hamas terror forces into Israel and at anything Israeli has an almost-boring sameness about it. Thousands of firings (more than 3,500 in the past 46 days), place names that are vague and usually unrecognizable to non-Israelis, and outcomes that are usually stated as "no injuries, no damage, but that is not what the terrorists intended'.

Here is what the terrorists of Hamas did intend: the violent death of a four year-old Israeli child in his home on a kibbutz in southern Israel. Not occupied, not territories, not an act of liberation. Just a killing, a dead "Zionist", and - finally - a little child.

A four-year-old Israeli boy was killed by a mortar shell fired from the Gaza Strip on Friday afternoon. The boy, Daniel Tragerman, was at home with his parents and siblings at Kibbutz Nahal Oz in the Sha’ar Hanegev Region, close to the border with Gaza, when the attack took place. An Israeli security source said the fatal shell was fired from near an UNRWA shelter in Gaza... Sirens wailed only very shortly before the mortar shell struck outside the Tragerman family home at the kibbutz, and his parents — Doron and Gila — were unable to get their son Daniel into their protected room in time. He was killed by shrapnel from the explosion that smashed into the house. Daniel is the first Israeli child to die in the current Israel-Hamas conflict. His death brought the Israeli death toll since Operation Protective Edge began on July 8 to 68. He was critically wounded, and later died of his wounds... The family had only recently returned to their home, having stayed elsewhere during part of the war... [The child] was the first Israeli fatality since Hamas breached a truce on Tuesday and resumed rocket fire at Israel, prompting a re-escalation of fighting and the collapse of ceasefire talks in Cairo. [Times of Israel]

And please: no sanctimonious claims of "he was unfortunately caught in the crossfire". Like innocent victims of all terrorist attacks, 4 year-old Daniel was the target. His being a Jewish child simply completes the Hamas wish-list (see "15-Aug-14: Terror and children").

2-Jul-14: Wednesday rockets and mortar attacks on southern Israel

The evening is wearing on. Further to our post of a couple of hours ago ["2-Jul-14: About those mortars fired into southern Israel this afternoon..."], it's now reported that two rockets were fired on the southern coastal city of Ashkelon. 

Ynet says one was intercepted in mid-air and brought down by the Iron Dome system. The second fell in an open area causing no significant damage. The Jerusalem Post, quoting military sources, says there were two Iron Dome intercepts tonight: one over Ashkelon and the other in the Sdot Negev region.

The Wednesday fire has been substantial. The IDF says there have already nine incoming mortars from Gaza, fired at various parts of southern Israel. All appear to have landed in open areas in the Eshkol region. The Israel Air Force struck a mortar launcher in the southern Gaza Strip some hours ago, that had been used to fire shells into Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, which is located in the Eshkol region.

The same Ynet report says there appear to be plans in the air for a wider military strike, most likely focused on Hamas in Gaza.

IDF reservists reported receiving calls from the army to update their personal details including telephone number, address, and bank account numbers. While these check-ups from the army are routinely conducted for most reservists every several months, calls made during the severe escalation in Israel has given rise to speculation that reserve forces could be called up for a ground operation. [Ynet]

Update 9:15 pm via Ynet: Yet another rocket was fired from Gaza, crashing and exploding in the Eshkol region; no injuries and no significant damage. There have been more than twenty such attacks since this morning [Times of Israel].

2-Jul-14: About those mortars fired into southern Israel this afternoon...

Ynet in a report posted at 3:50 pm this (Wednesday) afternoon says three mortar shells fired from Gaza landed in open areas in the Eshkol region. These follow several volleys fired from Gaza into southern Israel yesterday. The IDF Spokesperson's Office says there have been five mortar attacks since midnight last night. And from Gaza itself, the GANSO people said some hours ago that "07/02/2014 | 07:30 |
MU, 02 JUL: Overnight, Pal. ops. fired 7 rockets".

Think mortars are child's-play? Arab-on-Arab mortar fire yesterday in Iraq killed six people. Arab-on-Arab mortar fire in Syria on Monday killed at least seven people and wounded 30 others in the north-western province of Idlib. Ukrainians were killed and injured in mortar fire on their turf today as well.

All in all, we're thankful that the Gazan Palestinian Arab mortar fire on anything Israel produced no serious results today, but as we repeatedly point out that's never the intention of the Palestinian Arabs who do the firing.

Update 5:00 pm: At the Hebrew Walla! news site, they say a Qassam rocket fired from Gaza crashed and exploded in the Sha'ar Hanegev region during the afternoon hours today. No reports of injuries or serious damage.

3-Jun-12: Scenes from the front lines: today's update

East Jerusalem: Firebombs, cement blocks, rock volleys
[Image Source]

The chronology below picks up where we left off this past Tuesday ["29-May-12: Terrorism from up close: low-intensity attacks continue"]. Like several earlier reports summarized in our blog, this is based on the Tayar Security Report, compiled by Yehudit Tayar from first-responder, police and army reports.

Tuesday May 29, 2012

• Molotov cocktail (fire-bomb) attack on the IDF post at Tel Ares, south-west of Nablus/Shechem
• Civilian buses come under rock attacks in the area north-west of Nablus/Shechem between Sebastia and the Jewish communities of the Shomron (Samaria district) 

Wednesday May 30. 2012

• Tekoa in the Gush Etzion region, on Jerusalem's southern edge: A crowd of Palestinian Arabs, including a considerable number of political activists, provocateurs and anarchists (to adopt the Tayar Security Report's terminology) gathers, seeking to cause violent clashes with the community's Jewish residents. They also attack IDF troops whose presence prevented the confrontations which they evidently wanted to achieve. One of the Arab protestors is moderately injured.
• Negahot in the Southern Hebron Hills: Rock throwing attacks on the IDF with two soldiers suffering  moderate injuries. They are taken away by ambulance for hospital treatment.

Thursday May 31, 2012

• Betar Ilit: An Israeli passenger bus comes under rock attack resulting in property damage but no injuries
• In the Shomron (Samaria district): Rock attacks on vehicles traveling on the Gilad Road
• Negahot in in the Southern Hebron Hills: Continuing rock attacks

 Friday June 1, 2012

• Terrorist incursion near Kisufim on the Israel/Gaza border. We posted on this ["1-Jun-12: In the south, things are growing warmer... yet again"]
• Two incoming rockets are fired from Gaza in the general direction of Israeli communities, this time landing near the security fence
• Village of Kfar Hursa, in the Southern Hebron Hills: Continuous rioting by local Palestinian Arabs directed against Israeli vehicles passing on the nearby roads. An Israeli motorist, struck by a bottle of paint, safely reached Bet Hagai where she reported on the damage to her vehicle
• Also in the vicinity of Hursa: An Israeli child suffered injuries from glass fragments as a result of a rock attack (one of many) on a vehicle traveling near the village. In addition, two IDF soldiers were injured from rock throwing in the same area during the week.

Saturday June 2, 2012

• The Gal neighborhood of Kiryat Arba: A fire is set by protesting Arabs from nearby towns. Fire fighters prevented damage or injury.
• Adjacent to the village of El Arub on the Gush Etzion-to-Hebron road: During Friday night, a Molotov cocktail (fire-bomb) is hurled at an IDF post 

Sunday (today) June 3, 2012

• The vicinity of Har Gilo on Jerusalem's southern edge: An Israeli vehicle is car-jacked. The driver, who had transported her son to his army post nearby, is thrown from her vehicle but is unhurt. The brazen thieves make good their escape to the nearby Arab town of Bet Jala.
• Hebron: Rock attacks on Israeli vehicles in and near the city's Jewish community quarter, with property damage
• Multiple rock attacks today against Israeli vehicles traveling several roads including the Yigal Alon Road, north-west of Ramallah; the major Tel Aviv/Jerusalem Route 443, in the vicinity of the Dor Energy gas station (owned and operated by the Hawaja family, Israeli Arabs) a few kilometers south of the city of Modi'in; and in the vicinity of Shilo with the rock throwers based at the Arab school at Luben A-Sharkia. Damage caused to vehicles.

24-Mar-11: Rockets fired into Israel yet again

Ynet is reporting this morning (9:00am Israel time) that a Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in an open area south of Ashkelon. There are no reports of injury or damage, but this outcome is not what the terrorists want. Today's Qassam comes after five mortar shells (possibly more) were fired into southern Israel yesterday from the northern Gaza Strip. Ynet says army sappers who examined the shells said some of them contained phosphorus, prohibited under the Geneva Convention for use as a weapon. Haaretz says yesterday's barrage included a Qassam. Fortunately again, no injuries or damages were reported in Wednesday's attacks - a tactical failure for the hatred-driven jihadists who are entirely focused on civilian targets.