Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 26 March 2019
Israel hits targets across Gaza after rocket attack

By JOSEF FEDERMAN heavy retaliation. He said authoritarian government. Monday’s attack came with a range of 120 kilome-
FARES AKRAM the Palestinian people “will Hamas responded with a 10 days after rockets were ters (75 miles), making it
Associated Press not surrender” and its mili- violent crackdown, beat- fired from Gaza toward Is- one of the deepest rocket
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli tant factions “will deter the ing and arresting dozens rael’s densely populated strikes ever carried out by
forces on Monday struck Hamas.
targets across the Gaza Lifshitz added that two ar-
Strip in response to a sur- mor and infantry brigades
prise rocket attack from were being mobilized to
the Palestinian territory, as the Gaza front and that a
the military bolstered its limited drafting of reserves
troops and rocket-defense was also taking place.
systems in anticipation of a The cities of Tel Aviv and
new round of heavy fight- Beersheba opened pub-
ing with the Islamic militant lic bomb shelters. Civil de-
group Hamas. fense officials canceled
Israel opened public bomb sporting matches and train
shelters in most major cities service in southern Israel.
and civil defense authori- Schools were ordered to
ties canceled sports events hold classes in bomb shel-
and public transportation ters, and large public gath-
in southern Israel. As Israeli erings were banned.
aircraft pounded Gaza, The family home in Mish-
Hamas’ leadership went meret was left in ruins, with
into hiding. tiles, broken furniture and
“Israel will not tolerate this. I debris scattered about. A
will not tolerate this,” Prime shattered baby’s crib lay
Minister Benjamin Netanya- among the rubble and two
hu declared during a White family dogs died in the ex-
House meeting with Presi- Police officers inspect the damage to a house hit by a rocket in Mishmeret, central Israel, Monday, plosion.
dent Donald Trump. March 25, 2019. Associated Press “I nearly lost my family,”
“Israel is responding force- said Robert Wolf, grandfa-
fully to this wanton aggres- enemy if it exceeds the red of protesters and drawing commercial capital of Tel ther of the injured residents.
sion,” he said. “We will do lines.” rare public criticism. Aviv, and the Israeli military “If we hadn’t gotten to
whatever we must do to In Beirut, the powerful Leb- The rocket attack, which struck back. Gaza’s Hamas the bomb shelter in time, I
defend our people and de- anese militant group Hez- caught Israel off guard, leaders said the rocket was would now be burying all
fend our state.” bollah said its leader, Has- may have been an at- fired accidentally and the my family.”
Several airstrikes were san Nasrallah, met Monday tempt by Hamas to divert fighting quickly subsided. Netanyahu came under
heard throughout Gaza, with a Hamas delegation attention from its growing The sounds of air raid sirens heavy criticism from allies
including a powerful blast led by top official Saleh domestic woes. jolted residents of the Sha- and opponents for what
that destroyed a multistory Arouri. Hezbollah said they Israel and Hamas have ron area, northeast of Tel they say has been an inef-
building in Gaza City. Is- discussed the Gaza situ- fought three wars, most Aviv, shortly after 5 a.m. fective policy containing
rael said the building had ation and “Israeli aggres- recently in 2014. Although Monday, sending them Gaza militants. He has con-
served as a Hamas military sion.” Hamas is facing per- neither side appears to scurrying to bomb shelters. ducted indirect cease-fire
intelligence headquarters. haps its domestic test since have an interest in a full- A strong sound of an explo- talks through Egyptian me-
The explosion was so pow- seizing control of Gaza from fledged war, fighting could sion followed. diators in recent months,
erful it sent debris flying the rival Palestinian Author- easily spin out of control. The rocket destroyed a resi- and even allowed the de-
onto the roof of The Associ- ity 12 years ago. The 2014 conflict lasted 50 dential home in the farming livery of millions of dollars
ated Press bureau, located An Israel-Egyptian block- days and ended with over community of Mishmeret, of Qatari aid to Hamas to
on the 11th floor of a near- ade, imposed to weaken 2,000 Palestinian deaths, wounding six members of ease harsh conditions in
by high-rise. Hamas, combined with including hundreds of civil- a family. The Magen David Gaza.
The sudden conflagration sanctions by the Palestinian ians, and 73 killed on the Adom rescue service said “The reality in which Hamas
came at a time when both Authority and mismanage- Israeli side. it treated seven people, turned Israel into a hostage
Netanyahu and his Hamas ment by the Hamas gov- Netanyahu faces the dif- including two women who is unprecedented and
foes are in desperate situa- ernment, have all fueled ficult task of delivering a were moderately wound- unfathomable,” his chief
tions. an economic crisis that has tough blow to Hamas while ed. The others, including challenger, Benny Gantz,
Netanyahu is in a tight race left Gaza with an unem- avoiding protracted fight- two children and an infant, wrote on Twitter on Mon-
for re-election, and just two ployment rate above 50 ing that could work against had minor injuries. day. Gantz is a former mili-
weeks before the April 9 percent. him on election day. The Israeli military said tary chief who led the army
vote, faces tough criticism Hamas has been leading Yaakov Amidror, a former Hamas militants fired the during the last Gaza war in
from challengers who ac- weekly protests along the national security adviser to rocket from southern Gaza. 2014.
cuse him of being too soft Israeli border for the past Netanyahu, said a mild re- It said its Iron Dome rocket- Netanyahu also came un-
on Hamas. year in hopes of easing the sponse was not an option. defense system was not der attack from his own na-
In Washington to celebrate blockade, but the demon- “It will be something on a activated because the at- tionalistic allies.
the U.S. recognition of Is- strations, in which some 190 bigger scale,” he said. tack in central Israel had “Israel’s deterrence has
rael’s control of the Golan people have been killed by “He doesn’t want a war not been anticipated. The collapsed, and it has to
Heights, Netanyahu instead Israeli fire, have done little before elections, but they army added it was reinforc- be said in all honesty Ne-
was forced to cut short his to improve conditions. put him in a corner,” he ing its missile defense bat- tanyahu has failed against
trip under heavy pressure Last week, hundreds of Ga- added. “After three missiles teries in preparation for an Hamas,” said Education
to strike back at Hamas. zans took to the streets to reaching the heart of Israel, escalation. Minister Naftali Bennett,
Hamas’ leader, Ismail Hani- protest the dire conditions, the chance of a big esca- Maj. Mika Lifshitz, a military head of the Yamin HeHa-
yeh, issued a statement a rare expression of pub- lation including a ground spokeswoman, said it was dash faction in Netanya-
warning Israel against lic discontent against the offensive, is very high.” a self-manufactured rocket hu’s coalition.q