Gaza hits boiling point as rockets fly across borders

Gulf News (Link) -  Nasser Najjar (March 24, 2010)

Gaza Anger is growing almost daily in the Palestinian territories due to the Israeli government�s actions against the Al Aqsa Mosque, and the re-dedication of the Hurva synagogue.

In the West Bank, demonstrations are hitting virtually every city, village and refugee camp. Children are stoning the Israeli soldiers and young men are blocking roads used by Israeli military vehicles.

In the Gaza Strip, this anger is taking on a much more aggressive face.

The rocket fire from Gaza, which had subsided since the invasion of Gaza in 2009, has picked up again. As the situation worsens in occupied Jerusalem, more rockets seem to be falling into Israel from Gaza.

According to the Israeli media approximately 30 rockets and shells have been launched into southern Israel since the beginning of 2010, with five of them being launched within the last week alone.

On March 18, a rocket fired into Israel was the first to cause a death since the invasion of Gaza. The rocket killed a migrant worker from Thailand in a greenhouse in southern Israel.

Air strikes

Not long after, Israel reacted to the death of the Thai worker by conducting air strikes on the tunnels in southern Gaza, on a blacksmith�s workshop, and destroyed what was left of the airport. The strikes caused no deaths, but left 17 injured.

In West Bank, Israel killed four Palestinians during attacks.

Israel continues to bombard Gaza and has so far injured dozens of Palestinians.

Israeli military radio said that no matter who launches the rockets, the Hamas Government is responsible for the strip and they are the ones to blame if any rockets target south Israel.

Mosher Al Masri, a Hamas parliament member, told Gulf News: �The Zionist occupation is the one to blame for everything that is happening on the ground at the moment and that will happen in the future. The occupation must consider that it irks not only the Palestinians, but also the Muslims all around the world, and that might led to a popular Intifada, not only in the Palestinian territories.�

Abu Aseef, the spokesman for the Ayman Joudah Brigades, one of the Fatah military wings, said; �Our duty is to protect our land and people from the Israeli occupation.�

Since Hamas took over Gaza, Fatah�s military actions against the Israeli occupation from the Gaza Strip were limited, but never ceased.

New groups starting to rise up in defence of the Palestinian people, these groups feel that Hamas and Fatah are not doing enough.

Because suicide bombing has become a nearly impossible means of resistance due to the isolation of the Gaza Strip and the more than 600 check points in the territories, launching rockets has become the most suitable military solution for the Palestinian factions.