Gaza
rocket lands close to Jerusalem
Hamas's
long-range missile hits outskirts of city, making ground offensive by
Israel in Gaza more likely
16
November, 2012
A
rocket fired from Gaza has landed close to Jerusalem, bringing closer
the possibility of a ground offensive by Israeli troops in the
three-day-old conflict.
Hamas
said it had launched the long-range missile as air raid sirens
sounded across the city at the start of Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath.
It claimed it was targeting the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
The
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that a rocket struck on the
city outskirts – believed to be the settlement block of Gush Etzion
– causing no injuries. A photograph published by the Palestinian
news agency, Maan, showed rocket vapour trails in the sky above
Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem.
The
city, which Israel claims as its "eternal and indivisible
capital" and which is home to some of the holiest sites in the
Islamic, Jewish and Christian faiths, is about 50 miles from Gaza –
the maximum reach of the most powerful rockets in the militants'
arsenals. Hamas described the missile as "an improved Qassam"
named an M-75.
Earlier,
sirens were activated for the second day in Tel Aviv and some
residents reported hearing the "muffled boom" of an
explosion. The Tel Aviv authorities said they were opening bomb
shelters across the city.
Israel
says militant groups in Gaza have taken possession of a large number
of powerful weapons smuggled from Libya in recent months, including
Fajr-5s, which have a range of up to 50 miles. Last month, a
Russian-made Strela anti-aircraft missile was fired for the first
time at an Israeli helicopter over Gaza, but missed.
As
stakes in the conflict rose for the third day, the IDF said about 550
rockets had been fired from Gaza since the start of its military
offensive against Gaza, called Operation Pillar of Defence, on
Wednesday. A third of the missiles had been intercepted by its Iron
Dome defence system.
The
Israelis hit more than 600 targets in Gaza over the same period.
Eighty-five targets were hit in 45 minutes in the early hours of
Friday morning in one of the most intensive periods of bombardment
since the offensive began.
Speculation
about an imminent ground invasion mounted as tanks were seen
stationed close to the Gaza border. The IDF has begun calling up
16,000 reservists, and the defence minister, Ehud Barak, authorised
the military to extend the number to 30,000.
Britain's
foreign secretary, William Hague, told the BBC that a ground invasion
could cost Israel international support. "Israel does have to
bear in mind that it is when ground invasions have taken place in
previous conflicts that they have lost international support and a
great deal of sympathy around the world."
The
Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, pledged that his country would
"not leave Gaza on its own" and denounced Israel's
offensive as "a blatant aggression against humanity". In a
statement which will increase western concern that the conflict in
Gaza is hardening anti-Israel sentiment in post-revolutionary Egypt
and elsewhere in the Middle East, he added: "Egypt today is not
the Egypt of yesterday, and Arabs today are not the Arabs of
yesterday."
His
prime minister, Hesham Kandil, reiterated the message during a short
visit to Gaza aimed at showing solidarity with the people. "The
Egyptian people are supporting you. The Egyptian revolution will be
side by side with the Palestinian people. The world should take
responsibility in stopping this aggression," said Kandil.
Their
comments came amid growing public anger in Egypt over Israel's
military operation targeting Gaza, which was condemned in speeches in
mosques and demonstrations. Protesters marched in the country's two
largest cities, Cairo and Alexandria, waving Palestinian flags and
chanting slogans against Israel.
Preaching
at the al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, the prominent cleric Yusuf
al-Qaradawi, who was long barred from Egypt, likened Israel's attack
to Bashar al-Assad's use of violence in Syria. "We say to the
tyrant Israel, the day of your end is coming soon," he told a
crowd, some of whom were wearing Palestinian scarves or carrying
banners.
Other
voices were more nuanced, reflecting the deep conflicts that many
Egyptians feel in their country's relationship with Israel, with
which it signed the Camp David peace treaty in 1979.
Under
former leader Hosni Mubarak Egypt had become used to acting as a
mediator between Palestinian groups – including those in Gaza –
and Israel, a role the new Muslim Brotherhood-led government has
continued to pursue, despite promising to take a harder line.
Following the assault on Gaza, there has been evidence that the
Brotherhood is being forced to be more assertive.
The
crisis over Gaza is the first major foreign policy challenge for
Egypt's Islamist administration, which is complicated by the Muslim
Brotherhood's close historic ties with Gaza's ruling Hamas movement.
Since
the Egyptian revolution, the Brotherhood has been in a political bind
over its treaty with Israel, coming under pressure from more radical
parties, such as the Salafist al-Nour party and secular leftwing
groups to get tougher with Israel.
Explosion,
sirens in Tel Aviv after long range rocket 'fired from Gaza'
Residents
in Tel Aviv are hearing air raid sirens for a second time in the
ongoing crisis after Hamas reportedly fired a long-range rocket at
Israel’s second-largest city and capital.
16
November, 2012
Witnesses
said a loud explosion was heard in Tel Aviv after the siren went off.
Israeli
police reported that the rocket caused no injuries and most likely
fell into the Mediterranean Sea.
Qassam
Brigades claimed they used M75 homemade missile to attack Tel Aviv.
All
public shelters in Tel Aviv are now being unlocked and made
available.
Tel
Aviv is targeted by a Hamas attack for a second day in a row, as the
conflict escalates. On Thursday evening the air raid alert was
sounded and a rocket landed in the sea in front of Jaffa Beach, south
of the city.
The
alert was the first in Tel Aviv since the 1991 Gulf War. Israel’s
second-largest city is located far enough from Gaza not to be
targeted by the smaller-range
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