Hamas Continue Rocket Firing

Only within a few hours of the IDF withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Hamas had already declared victory.

And as an exclamation point of sorts, the Hamas Qassam rockets were launched (like pictured above from Gaza) once again at nearby Israeli towns as if nothing had happened; as if saying that after two days of killing more than 60 Palestinians, the Israelis still had failed to destroy the rocket launchers.

“I saw that people in Hamas said it was a victory for Hamas, and so I’d like to publicly wish them many more such victories,” said Mark Regev of the Israeli government. “I am 100% confident that this operation was successful in applying pressure on Hamas’ leadership — pressure that hurts.”

He adds that the latest incursion was not the last and that there was “no quick fix” for the problem.

Many believe that the Qassams were used to provoke Israeli incursions such as this; and to keep the revolution and Hamas in power.

“I don’t think they produce any result,” says one of the refugees. “The negatives of it are much greater than the positives.”

Another Fatah man had this to say of Hamas: “They’re trafficking in bodies and souls. Just so they can tell the media, ‘We have this many martyrs.’”

In the other side of the spectrum another refugee man had this to say about the Qassams: “A person must defend his dignity by any means. If Israel committed to international agreements, and dealt with us like human beings, the rockets would stop.”

According to him the long-term goal of the Qassams was to show Israel the hopelessness of a military solution. And once Israel gives up on the fighting, then negotiations will follow. And Palestinians can go back to their homes in Israel.

Hamas leaders are so in love with the Qassams. Only in recent days did they add more powerful and long-range rockets called Grads. To them, it’s the only form of self-defense they have against the powerful US military backed IDF. Pictured below is how Hamas have used a variety of rockets and launchers in their campaigns.

Below: Hamas soldier with their rockets

helicopters,” said Ahmed Younis, a consultant to Ismail Haniyeh. “(The goal is) to make the Israelis bleed the same way we are bleeding.”

So far, the Qassams have killed “only” 13 civilians in the last seven years; a measly number compared to the hundreds of Palestinians who have died in each IDF attack. But the main thing is that the rockets seem to come from everywhere and to say the least, had made it difficult for the Israelis to live a normal life.

Update:

Israel’s air force struck anew and killed two more Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. Apparently, one of those killed was a member of an Islamic Jihad rocket squad.

Islamic Jihad confirmed the statement saying their men had just launched seven rockets at the Israeli border town of Sderot. The air strike took down the rocket crew.

The Israeli govenment said its ground attacks had succeeded in stopping the rocket launches by Hamas.

To answer, Hamas denied that its fighters felt any kind of defeat.

“There is no decision to stop rocket firing,” said Qassam spokesman Abu Ubaida. “If there is a reduction in rocket firing, it is a tactical matter and not related to any political decision.”