Spent Qassam Rockets in Sderot. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock.
Just two months after a January that was free of any terror attacks from the Gaza Strip, March saw a barrage of rocket attacks as Gaza terror tripled from February. According to a report from the Israeli Security Agency (ISA), three separate attacks were recorded during March, including the assault of 14 rockets in once incident during the visit of US President Barack Obama to the Middle East.
In addition, March also saw one shooting and one firebomb from Gaza. February, by contrast, had just one attack—a rocket—while January had zero. More rockets have been fired at Israel in April, signs the ceasefire reached between Israel and Gaza may be eroding.
Following one such rocket attack this week, the IDF website reported that Israeli aircraft attacked two terror sites in Gaza
A remarkable quiet had emerged following Operation “Pillar of Defense” in November, in which Israel struck over a 1000 Gaza terror sites in response to ongoing attacks. Following the conflict, Israel and Gaza reached a ceasefire with Egyptian mediation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in comments released by his office on Wednesday, warned Israel would continue to defend itself. “If the quiet is violated, we will respond strongly,” he said. “The security of Israel’s citizens is my chief concern and we will know how to defend the security of our people.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, April 4, 2013)