ISRAEL: Rocket hits Israeli town of Sderot as tensions mount, threatening a five month old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas

Record ID: 396122

  • Title: ISRAEL: Rocket hits Israeli town of Sderot as tensions mount, threatening a five month old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
  • Date: 17th November 2008
  • Summary: (EU) SDEROT, ISRAEL (NOVEMBER 16, 2008) (REUTERS) ++NIGHT PICTURES++ VARIOUS OF RESIDENTS GATHERING AT SITE VARIOUS OF NEWLY ELECTED MAYOR OF SDEROT DAVID BUSKILA COMFORTING RESIDENT (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) SDEROT MAYOR DAVID BUSKILA, SAYING: "I will come and try to do things to impose on the government new orders in this town. After a few months of calm we will not allow
  • Embargoed: 2nd December 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA8BQKDLBAL3Q8Z4CU5NRRTZCS5
  • Story Text: Militants in the Gaza Strip launched a rocket aimed at the southern Israeli town of Sderot on Sunday (November 16) as tension mounted in the region.
    Israeli medical services reported one man was lightly injured as he fled the scene, and several other people suffered from shock.
    Earlier on Sunday, an Israeli air strike killed four militants in the Gaza Strip and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would commission a new plan for military action in the Hamas-run territory should rocket attacks on Israel persist.
    But he appeared to rule out any immediate move towards significantly stronger Israeli military action, saying that despite "soaring emotions and hot blood", his government would examine the situation and act in a "calm and settled" manner.
    Olmert said Israel could not tolerate rocket salvoes during "a so-called calm", but he stopped short of declaring dead a five-month-old, Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Hamas tested by a flare-up of violence over the past two weeks.
    He gave no indication that Israel would soon lift its closure of the territory's borders to humanitarian aid, including food distributed by the United Nations to 750,000 needy Palestinians and fuel for Gaza's sole power plant.
    Both the United Nations and the European Union have urged Israel to let aid supplies through.
    Israel and Hamas traded blame for the continuing violence.
    At least 17 Palestinian militants have been killed since Nov. 4, when Israel raided the Gaza Strip to destroy a tunnel it said gunmen were planning to use to seize a soldier.
    Israeli officials have said a wide-scale ground operation in the Gaza Strip to try to curb rocket attacks would cause heavy casualties on both sides. Such an assault would pose particular political risks for members of Olmert's coalition cabinet as a Feb. 10 parliament election approaches.
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