GAZA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Gaza ruler Hamas fired longer-range rockets into Israel on Wednesday amid continuous makeshift rockets attacks, escalating violence around the besieged Gaza Strip.
Hamas confirmed that its militants have fired Grads
(military-grade rockets) from northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning in
response to the killing of five of its militants.
The two Soviet-made Grads landed near a factory and a
parking lot in the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon respectively, causing damage
to several cars, according to Israeli sources.
In the meantime, tens of rockets launched by armed
Palestinian groups, mainly Hamas and the less influential Islamic Jihad, have
been landing in Israeli border towns.
Late Tuesday, Israel killed three Hamas militants
after spotting them planting explosives near the security fence that separates
Israel and northern Gaza Strip.
Israeli radio reported that 60 rockets and mortar
shells have hit Israel since Wednesday morning, adding that two residents were
treated for shock.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian civilian was seriously
injured when an Israeli missile hit the front of his house in northern Gaza
city, witnesses and medical sources.
Emad al-Drimley, a Gaza journalist, said his family
were waken up at 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) by the sound of a big blast that
hit their house. "My brother Eyad, 37, was seriously wounded by shrapnel," Emad
said.
Neighbors of Emad said the Israeli missile hit his
house moments after militants fired rockets into Israel from nearby.
The latest violence is the bloodiest since a
six-month ceasefire between Hamas, which controls Gaza Strip, and Israel
expired.
Israel and the Palestinian militants have violated
the Egypt-brokered ceasefire since early November, with Israel launching
military operations into Gaza, triggering Palestinian rocket attacks in
response.
Israel also restored tight restrictions on Gaza
commercial crossings in a bid to deter the Palestinian rocket fire.
Palestinian officials said Israel will not open Kerem
Shalom and Karni crossings on Wednesday to allow aid convoys into Gaza. Israeli
Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the crossings to remain close in response to
the rockets.
BEIRUT, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- A European-flagged ship
carrying Lebanese activists, journalists and supplies is to sail from southern
Lebanon to the besieged Gaza Strip early next year, Naharnet website reported
Wednesday.
The ship carrying power generators and food will sail
from southern Lebanon on Jan. 3 to Cyprus before heading to Gaza to defy the
Israeli blockade, the organizers were quoted as saying. Full story
GAZA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) --
Palestinian Christians living in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip will not celebrate
Christmas this year and do the midnight Christmas mass, Gaza Latin Church pastor
Manuel Musalam said on Wednesday.
Musalam said in a statement sent to reporters in Gaza
that he made the decision to protest a tight Israeli blockade imposed on the
Gaza Strip, and Israeli threats to invade the coastal enclave. Full story
GAZA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) --
Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday resumed attacks on Israeli
border communities with rockets and mortar shells following the death of five
Hamas fighters.
In response to the attacks, Israel canceled a brief
opening of cargo crossings which was intended to allow humanitarian aid into the
sealed-off enclave. Full story
GAZA, Dec. 23
(Xinhua) -- A senior Hamas leader on Tuesday said his movement can abide by
ceasefire with Israel if the Jewish state respected the terms of the previous
agreement.
Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas leader based in Gaza, made the
remarks a few days after an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire expired. Full story
JERUSALEM, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- After Hamas ended a
six-month-old Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Israel, analysts believe a
durable peace agreement between the Palestinian Islamic movement and the Jewish
state is unlikely, as it would go against Hamas' ideology and undermine Israel's
long-term security objectives.
Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip Fawzi Barhom said
in a statement on Thursday that "there is no room to extend the Tahde'a (truce)
with Israel, which ends on Friday," blaming Israel for "bearing the full
responsibility for its collapse." Full story
RAMALLAH, Dec. 22
(Xinhua) -- An Israeli military court on Monday sentenced several Hamas
lawmakers to prison, Hamas' parliamentary bloc said.
Six West Bank-based members of the Palestinian
Legislative Council (PLC) were sentenced to imprisonment from 36 to 40 months
period, the Hamas' Change and Reform bloc said in a statement sentto media. Full story
