Hamas Immediately Rockets Israel After Fuel Delivery
J-Post:
Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired five Kassam rockets at the western Negev on Tuesday morning as Israel began its first fuel delivery into the Strip since it imposed a blockade on the territory in response to the incessant rocket attacks.
One of the rockets hit a western Negev kibbutz, two landed at the entrance to Sderot and two hit open areas outside the town. No one was wounded and no damage was reported.
Five Israeli tanker trucks parked at the Nahal Oz crossing on the Gaza border pumped 700,000 liters of fuel to the other side, enough to provide electricity to Gaza City for two days. Three more trucks delivered cooking gas, and a shipment of medicine was to be delivered later in the day.
In all, Israel has promised three fuel deliveries over three days, for a total of 2.2 million liters, enough to keep the power plant running for a week, said Kanan Obeid, head of Gaza’s energy authority.
Monday night’s decision by Defense Minister Ehud Barak to ease the siege on Gaza followed a day of outcry from the Arab world, threats by the Palestinian Authority to end diplomatic negotiations, warnings by UN organizations that food aid would have to be suspended, and criticism from friends, such as visiting Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen.
Also Tuesday morning, Palestinian gunmen shot at an IDF tractor carrying troops working on the southern Gaza border fence. The incident occurred close to the field near Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha where an Ecuadorian volunteer was killed by a Palestinian sniper last week. The soldiers returned fire.
No one was wounded and no damage was reported.
UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) spokesman Adan Abu Hasna expressed cautious optimism following the renewal of supplies.
“There is an optimistic atmosphere, but we’ll see if this fuel is enough to restart the power station,” Hasna told Army Radio.
Hasna emphasized that the organization was working extremely hard and was in desperate need of more fuel for its aid trucks.
“There is hope, but we have problems, we need fuel for hundreds of trucks we use to transport and distribute food to 60,000 Palestinian refugees,” he said. “We have been working at our peak since yesterday.”
Hasna went on to say that there had been “excellent cooperation” between UNRWA and Israel to ensure that there was enough fuel for the trucks, but since Barak’s decision on Monday night, the organization was “also suffering.”
The UNRWA spokesman called on both Israel and Palestinian terrorists to stop the violence.
“If the Kassam rocket fire is renewed and the siege is re-imposed it will be a tragedy. We are opposed to rocket fire, we have always said this. We want all violent acts against Sderot and Gaza to stop,” he said.
Former IDF chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya’alon said Tuesday that Israel should completely cut itself off from Gaza.
“There is an almost fully autonomous Palestinian regime there yet there is still much dependence on Israel for water and electricity,” Ya’alon told the Herzliya Conference.
“Israel should make efforts to completely disengage from Gaza,” continued the former chief of staff, adding that as long as the current situation continues, “the Gaza Strip must be considered a real enemy entity.”
Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann said Israel should continue the blockade on Gaza to stop the Kassam rocket fire.
However, Friedmann stressed that Israel must consider humanitarian repercussions and the international community, Army Radio reported.
Be respectful of others and their opinions. Inflammatory remarks and inane leftist drivel will be deleted. It ain’t about free speech, remember you’re in a private domain. My website, my prerogative.
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I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:52 amOk, I am a conservative Muslim, but I am very annoyed by the Palestinian and the Arabic nonsense and doublespeak. I think the best thing to do is have Israel stop military operations in Gaza, and in the same time cutoff the Gaza strip economically. Since the Palestinians are so good in “Intifada’s” lets see them have an Intifada on Hamas and its thugs before the fuel and food shortages kick in.
Palestinians are jacked up and they simply don’t know it… Victim mentality I suppose.
January 22nd, 2008 at 3:00 amWho in the hell does Hamas think they are fooling…This just demonstrates the animosity between divisions
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:39 amI suppose I must not interfere in another country’s elections -
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:09 amBUT I CAN’T HELP IT, This is what happens when you elect a leftist
government (Kadima).
Olmert proves over and over again how he won’t defend Israel
and one is tempted to imagine that HE HAS GOT TO GO.
Let’s hope they have early elections and put Netanyahu in charge.
Sorry! It’s up to you.
But we can read the conclusions into our own elections,
and imagine how we would become the fools for the world to kick
if we put our own lefties in charge in 2008.
You want change? No thanks! I’d rather maintain constancy for the next four years - while we’re winning. Politics of hope? I hope
you lose.
http://www.debka.com reported yesterday, that the phony power
outage in Gaza was cover to justify an attempt to break through
the Rafah border crossing to Egypt - the only access point for weaponry.
Today http://www.ynetnews.com reports this:
Ali Waked
Published: 01.22.08, 14:47 / Israel News
Thousands of Palestinian protestors clashed with Egyptian security forces at Rafah Crossing Tuesday, after demanding the crossing be opened in order to ease the Gaza siege.
Palestinians reported of 50 female protestors injured, 15 of them suffering gunshot wounds while the rest lost consciousness.
Outcry
(Arab MKs: Israel committing crimes / Yonat Atlas
Hundreds of Arab demonstrators protesting siege on Gaza clash with right-wing activists at Erez crossing. MK Tibi says MK Eitam is ‘a vile murderer of civilians’. Eitam responds, ‘Ahmad Tibi is a traitor.’ MK Zahalka calls on Palestinian President Abbas to cease ne
The Egyptian security forces fought off the protestors, beating them and using dogs and water hoses to push them back. Several Palestinians were arrested by the Egyptian forces.)
Sources in the Strip reported that among the demonstrators were representatives of Hamas’ women organizations, and groups representing the ill and wounded of Gaza.
Some of the protestors were able to ram through the crossing onto its Egyptian side, where hundreds of Egyptian troops awaited them, and dispersed then using clubs.
So it would seem debka called it right yesterday. Don’t expect
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:33 amto see this on CNN
Welcome to the perpetual shit storm/soap opera that is the middle east.
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:54 am770,000 liters equals ~185,000 gallons of fuel. Divide that by “5[…]tanker trucks” and you get 37,000 gallons of fuel per truck. Diesel weighs about 7.3 pounds per gallon, and gasoline weighs about 6.2 #/gal. Taking an average and multiplied out, each truck would have to be carrying 249,750 pounds of fuel. Either Israel has the biggestt frrackin’ fuel tankers known to mankind, or the reportage in this article is FUBARed. American tanker trucks would carry, maximum, between 6-7,000 gallons per trip.
Not that I’m nit-picking or anything. That just seemed to be so egregiously wrong that I had to point it out.
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:57 amWow what a shock, Israel sends fuel and the terrorists in Gaza fire more rockets. I think Israel should NOT send one more drop of food/medicine/food. Those terrorists love death, give it to them. Let allah feed the palestinians.
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:49 am“Let Allah feed the Palestinians”
My sentiment precisely!!! Let Allah prove his greatness! If Allah is really so almighty, let him feed the Palestinians. It’s a small price to pay for the pleasure of firing Estes…er Qassam rockets into Israel.
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:04 pm[…] of idiots fire missiles at people trying to bring them deliveries of much needed fuel? Apparently Palestinians do! Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired five Kassam rockets at the western Negev on Tuesday morning as […]
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:32 am[…] of idiots fire missiles at people trying to bring them deliveries of much needed fuel? Apparently Palestinians do! Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired five Kassam rockets at the western Negev on Tuesday morning as […]
January 24th, 2008 at 6:14 pm