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After Rocket Attacks From Gaza, Israel Resumes Fire After Rocket Attacks From Gaza, Israel Resumes Fire
(35 minutes later)
JERUSALEM — Soon after barrages of rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel on Sunday morning, the Israeli military announced that a humanitarian lull in its Gaza offensive, which was meant to last through midnight, was over. JERUSALEM —
Then, on Sunday afternoon, Hamas backtracked on its earlier rejection of the temporary cease-fire and said the “resistance groups” would agree to a 24-hour truce starting at 2 p.m. local time. Israel and Hamas went back and forth on Sunday over propsals for a humanitarian lull in the fighting in Gaza, underscoring the external and internal pressures on both sides.
A Hamas official in Gaza released a statement saying that Hamas’s decision came “in response to the intervention of the United Nations” and out of understanding for the people of Gaza who are preparing for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that ends Ramadan. By afternoon Hamas, the militant group that dominates Gaza, had called for a new 24-hour lull, hours after Israel declared an earlier one over in response to a barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza into its territory.
There was no immediate response to Hamas’s statement from Israel. The Israeli military said in a statement shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday that it was resuming its aerial, naval and ground activity in the Gaza Strip “following Hamas’s incessant rocket fire throughout the humanitarian window” that had been meant to last from midnight Saturday through midnight Sunday.
Huge clouds of smoke could be seen rising from the eastern neighborhoods of Gaza City that run close to the border with Israel, and fewer Palestinians were out on the city streets than on Saturday, as they appeared to be hunkering down again. Israel at first accepted that lull requested by the United Nations, but Hamas rejected it on the grounds that it did not involve a withdrawal of troops from the Palestinian coastal territory. Hamas then fired barrages of rockets into Israel. .
The military said in a statement shortly after 10 a.m. on Sunday that it was resuming its aerial, naval and ground activity in the Gaza Strip “following Hamas’s incessant rocket fire throughout the humanitarian window.” Some Israeli politicians began talking of the possibility of escalating the Israeli offensive against Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups, now in its 20th day, as intense international efforts over the weekend to press for an immediate, broader cease-fire appeared to have failed. Some Israeli politicians have begun talking of the possibility of escalating the Israeli offensive against Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups, now in its 20th day, as intense international efforts over the weekend to press for an immediate, broader cease-fire appeared to have failed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has come under political pressure from partners in his governing coalition and also from some ministers within his own party not to take the pressure off Hamas at this point. Huge clouds of smoke could be seen rising from the eastern neighborhoods of Gaza City that run close to the border with Israel, and fewer Palestinians were out on the city streets than had been on Saturday,
Naftali Bennett, leader of the right-wing Jewish Home party, issued a statement on his Facebook page on Sunday saying “Israel stands at a historic decisive moment. It is possible to defeat Hamas decisively and to dismantle its rockets and tunnels.” But on Sunday afternoon, Hamas backtracked and said “resistance groups” would agree to a new 24-hour truce starting at 2 p.m. local time. A Hamas official in Gaza released a statement saying that Hamas’s decision came “in response to the intervention of the United Nations” and out of understanding for the people of Gaza who are preparing for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that ends Ramadan.
With Hamas badly beaten but not yet knocked out, and with the Israeli public united in support of the operation, he argued, this was no time for a cease-fire that would allow Hamas to regroup. There was no immediate response from Israel. Asked on the CNN program “Stae of the Union” whether Israel would accept the offer, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel replied, “Hamas doesn’t even accept its own ceasefire, it’s continuing to fire at us as we speak.”
Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said that 25 rockets and mortar shells had been fired into Israel since 8 p.m. on Saturday, when an initial 12-hour cease-fire ended. Israel said it would hold its fire for an additional four hours while its cabinet met on Saturday night, then announced that, at the request of the United Nations, it would extend the lull for 24 hours. But Israel responded to some of the fire overnight with artillery fire toward Rafah, in southern Gaza, Colonel Lerner said. On sunday afternoon, sirens wailed in Israeli communities close to the border, warning of incoming rocket or mortar shells from Gaza.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement that the Israeli military was aiming to hit “terrorist” targets and that “if civilians are hurt unintentionally, Hamas will be responsible for that, after once more violating a proposal for a humanitarian lull that Israel agreed to.” More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the health ministry there and monitoring groups.
After listing previous violations of temporary cease-fires over the past few days, the statement accused Hamas of “making cynical use of Gaza’s civilians in order to use them as a human shield.” An Israeli reserve soldier was killed overnight by mortar fire from Gaza as he waited in a staging area along Israel’s border with Gaza, according to the military, bringing the total of Israeli soldiers killed since the beginning of the campaign on July 8 to 43. Three civilians in Israel have also been killed by rocket and mortar fire.
The United Nations, it added, had requested an extension of the cease-fire to allow Gaza’s residents to prepare for the Eid al-Fitr holiday that ends the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Hamas, the Islamic group that dominates Gaza and is leading the fighting against Israel, rejected the extension of the temporary truce on Saturday night, saying that any cease-fire that did not secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and allow residents to go back to their homes was unacceptable. Israel had said that it would maintain defensive positions in Gaza during the lull and continue to operate against Hamas’s underground tunnel network, which has been used by militants to infiltrate Israeli territory.
An Israeli reserve soldier was killed overnight by mortar fire from Gaza as he waited in a staging area along Israel’s border with Gaza, according to the military, bringing the total of Israeli soldiers killed since the beginning of the campaign on July 8 to 43. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the health ministry in Gaza and monitoring groups.
Seven rockets were fired into Israel on Sunday morning. Two were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome antimissile defense system and five fell in open ground, causing no injury or damage, according to the police.Seven rockets were fired into Israel on Sunday morning. Two were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome antimissile defense system and five fell in open ground, causing no injury or damage, according to the police.
Shaul Mofaz, a centrist member of the Israeli Parliament and a former military chief of staff and defense minister, told Ynet, a leading Hebrew news site, on Sunday that Israel had enough troops inside Gaza and stationed along the border to take the ground operation to “the next stage” and recommended “exacting a direct price from Hamas’s leadership.” The wrangling over even a brief, humanitarian truce reflected one the main disagreements between Israel and Hamas regarding any temporary cease-fire. Pending a comprehensive agreement, Israel has continued to search for and destroy Hamas’s underground tunnel network, which has been used by militants to infiltrate Israeli territory. But Hamas says it will not accept any extension until the troops left Gaza.
Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli military, repeated on Sunday that Israel would “continue to operate against the tunnels” and said that the 12-hour lull on Saturday had proven that Hamas was able to control other groups in Gaza.
Atai Shelach, a former commander of the combat engineering unit in the Israeli military, told reporters in a telephone briefing that the only way to deal with the problem of the tunnels was to have soldiers in Gaza. He said Israel had discovered up to 40 tunnels and scores of access points and destroyed several of them. “We are in the middle of the operation,” he said, adding, “We won’t find all of them and once we go out they will start digging again.”
While Hamas said it was responding to the United Nations and was taking the needs of Gaza’s residents into consideration in seeking a new cease-fire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was facing political pressure from partners in his governing coalition and also from some ministers within his own party not to take the pressure off Hamas at this point.
Naftali Bennett, leader of the right-wing Jewish Home party, issued a statement on his Facebook page on Sunday morning saying: “Israel stands at a historic decisive moment. It is possible to defeat Hamas decisively and to dismantle its rockets and tunnels.”
He contended that Israel is winning the current conflict and that with the Israeli public united in support of the operation, this was no time for a cease-fire that would allow Hamas to regroup. Addressing Hamas, he added: “No cease-fires, no lulls, no discussions. You have our phone number. When you are ready to demilitarize, call us.”
Shaul Mofaz, a centrist member of the Israeli Parliament and a former military chief of staff and defense minister, told Ynet, a leading Hebrew news site, on Sunday that Israel had enough troops inside Gaza and stationed along the border to take the ground operation to “the next stage.” He recommended “exacting a direct price from Hamas’s leadership.”