IDF Strikes Rocket Squad – 2 Terrorists Killed

IAF pilots eliminated a terror squad preparing to fire rockets at Israel’s southern communities from deep within civilian areas of Gaza.

 

IDF forces on Monday afternoon eliminated a two two-man terror squad preparing to launch a medium range rocket into Israel from northern Gaza.

Pilots reported a direct hit shortly after 16:00 hours. However, non-combatants were reportedly injured in the pre-emptive strike.

The IDF spokesperson’s office said “this case demonstrates the terrorist groups are using civilians as human shields,” and “open fire from the heart of population centers.”

Legal experts say mounting rocket strikes from civilian areas is a violation of the rules of war and the onus for civilian casualties rests with the terror groups. Continue Reading »

It’s time to exact a toll on Gaza

Using specific intelligence, the defense establishment assassinated the mastermind of the next terror attack just before Shabbat. This terror attack was planned in a way that would not only directly hurt Israelis but would also pressure Egypt to withdraw from its peace agreement with Israel. Everyone agrees that this was a precise preempting of terror, making justified and measured use of Israel’s right to defend itself.

Ze'ev Jabotinsky

Ze'ev Jabotinsky

Gaza was quick to retaliate – by the end of the Shabbat, more than 100 rockets had been fired toward highly populated areas in Israel. Despite all the defense measures in place, several Israeli civilians were wounded, one of them seriously.
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Hamas’ Zahar: Ceasefire likely to come soon

Organization’s leader Mahmoud Zahar says Israel does not want escalation; ceasefire will come when Israel stops attacks in Gaza; PRC, Islamic Jihad: No ceasefire while air strikes continue.

 

CAIRO – A truce is likely soon in the cross-border hostilities between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza but the timing depends on Israel, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar said on Monday.

“I expect matters will calm down,” Zahar told Reuters in Cairo.

“The statements coming from them (Israel) either in public or via mediators, especially Egypt, say that they do not want escalation.”

 Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar  - Photo By Reuters

Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar - Photo By Reuters

Asked how long it would take, Zahar said he did not know but it would depend on Israel, which he blamed for setting off the latest round of violence by killing Palestinian leaders on Friday. Continue Reading »

Gaza terrorists barrage south; IAF strikes Strip

Gaza’s terror groups fire dozens of rockets at Negev communities; none injured. Air Force strikes several cells; Palestinians report Jihadist killed, dozens of civilians injured

Nonstop barrage on south continues: Gaza terrorists fired more than a dozen rockets at Israel‘s Negev communities Monday morning, as the escalation on the country’s southern border entered its fourth day.

Israel Air Force jets targeted several terror cells in Gaza Strip overnight and Monday morning. The IDF said the pilots reported hitting their marks.

Color Red alerts sounded across the greater Sderot area at noon and moment later two rockets exploded – one just outside the city’s limits, and the other in on of the nearby Ashkelon Coast Regional Council. Continue Reading »

This round will likely go to Israel

If there are fewer launches Monday, Israel will likely reduce its attacks, and this round of hostilities will wind down by midweek.

 

Fewer rockets were fired at Israel on Sunday, but the fact that Katyushas did nonetheless fall in Be’er Sheva spurred tough talk from Israel, which threatened to continue attacking the Gaza Strip.

Still, if there are fewer launches Monday, Israel will likely reduce its attacks, and this round of hostilities will wind down by midweek, much as last year’s periodic flare-ups did.

This optimistic assessment comes with two strong caveats: One, this is all true so long as there are no Israeli deaths; and two, the Islamic Jihad’s rising frustration at its inability to achieve much may lead it to take the extreme – almost suicidal – step of firing rockets at the Tel Aviv area.

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Righteous Polish Gentiles Honored in Commemorative Coins

Poland issuing commemorative coins to honor Polish families killed by the Nazis for their efforts to save Jews in the Holocaust.

 

Poland is issuing commemorative coins to honor three Catholic-Polish families who were killed by the Nazis becaue of their efforts to save Jews during the Holocaust, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported (JTA).

The National Bank of Poland is schedule to issue two coins, on March 15, honoring of the Ulma, Kowalski and Baranek families.

The coins come in denominations of two zlotys, worth about 65 cents, and 20 zlotys, worth about $6.50, the JTA explained.

Wincenty and Łucja Baranek, who lived in the village of Siedliska, were shot and killed on March 15, 1942 after the Nazis discovered eight Jews hiding in their home. Continue Reading »

Lull in rocket barrage as Hamas reports ceasefire

Rocket firing appears to come to a halt, as Hamas TV reports that Israel informed Egypt it would stop IAF strikes in Gaza; over 160 rockets and mortar shells fall on Israel in 3 day period.

Rocket-damaged school in Beersheba [file]

Rocket-damaged school in Beersheba - Photo By REUTERS

There was a lull in the consistent barrage of rockets that had been fired from Gaza into Southern Israel over the past three days late Sunday night, as Hamas announced on television that Israel had informed Egypt it would stop IAF strikes in Gaza at midnight, according to Israel Radio.

Palestinian terrorists have fired over 160 rockets into Israeli territory since the beginning of the escalation Friday. Continue Reading »

Gaza terror group: Egypt warned us before al-Qaisi killing

Popular Resistance Committees spokesman says Egyptian intel officials warned Israel was planning to kill group’s secretary general. Adds: No truce yet because ‘blood of the fallen in Gaza has yet to dry’

 

Two days after an airstrike in Gaza killed Zuhir al-Qaisi, the secretary-general of the Popular Resistance Committees, the terror group’s spokesman said Egypt had warned of an Israeli attempt on his life.

Zuhir al-Qaisi Photo: AP

Zuhir al-Qaisi - Photo: AP

PRC spokesman Abu Mujahid said Sunday that collaborators who were recently apprehended in Gaza admitted to Hamas security personnel that Israel had instructed them to follow al-Qaisi everywhere.

According to Mujahid, about a month ago top PRC terrorists met with Egyptian intelligence officials – who warned that al-Qaisi’s life was in danger. Continue Reading »

Something New Under the Sun: Israeli Hybrid Solar Tech. in Spain

AORA, the innovative solar energy developer using Israeli research, dedicated its Second Hybrid Micro CSP Power Station in Spain.

AORA Solar (www.aora-solar.com), a renewable energy pioneer and leading developer of applied ultra-high temperature concentrating solar power (CSP) technology, has completed construction on its second gas turbine solar thermal power station. The station was constructed over a period of seven months, and is designed for a minimum economic lifespan of 25 years..

Built in Almeria, Spain, the plant is now undergoing commissioning and certification and is scheduled to begin regular power generation. An official dedication was held on February 7th, attended by VIPs from Spain, Israel, the United States and several other countries, as well as by politicians and businessmen. Continue Reading »

Germ-slaying ozone creates pure water

Harmless ozone beats chlorine every time for disinfecting water. Now an Israeli company offers a new technology that makes it affordable, too.

From swimming pools to commercial kitchens, Greeneng is offering technology that can decontaminate water with ozone cheaply and safely.

“Clean” isn’t always as clean as you think. While the chemicals in cleaning solutions and water purification systems do away with germs, they dirty the environment and aren’t healthy for humans.

An Israeli company is offering an alternative: an ozone-based cleaning system to purify tap water. The system, says Ittai Weissberg, CEO of Greeneng Solutions, is better at getting rid of germs, and is a lot safer than chlorine- and ammonia-based cleaning solutions.

Continue Reading »

#IsraelUnderFire from Gaza plays out on Twitter

As the south of Israel comes under heavy rocket attack, Twitter users rally support.

Smoke seen as rockets are fired from Gaza.

Smoke seen as rockets are fired from Gaza. - By REUTERS

 

As rockets continued to hit communities in southern Israel on Sunday, the battle for promoting information in real time about what was unfolding on the ground in Gaza and in the Israeli communities nearby was heating up online too.

Almost as the first barrage of rockets fired into Israel were reported Friday night, a new stream, #Israelunderfire, opened up on the social media networking site Twitter, with local residents and Israeli government officials using the hashtag to tell their version of the events. Continue Reading »

Iran: Israel’s Gaza raids ‘war crimes’

Islamic Republic’s foreign ministry urges rights groups to condemn Israel’s ‘abhorrent violation of human rights’

 

Iran on Sunday called Israel’s deadly air strikes on Gaza “war crimes” against “the defenseless Palestinian people,” calling for an international outcry against the attacks.

“Iran strongly condemns the savage crimes of the Zionist regime against the innocent and defenseless Palestinian people in Gaza,” the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.

Iran's Ahmadinejad Photo: AFP

Iran's Ahmadinejad - Photo: AFP

“The recent, repeated aggressions and invasions… are condemned as war crimes and inhumane,” it said.

International organizations and rights groups should speak out “about this abhorrent violation of human rights,” it added. Continue Reading »

American expert: U.S. ‘green light’ for Israeli attack on Iran depends on ‘whether it can get the job done’

Walter Russell Mead, one of America’s foremost foreign policy gurus, tells Haaretz Iran may soon offer compromise formulas aimed at ‘driving a wedge’ between Israel and the U.S.

U.S. President Barack Obama is capable of ordering a military attack on Iran, but the U.S. would probably prefer to yield to Israel if it was convinced that it “could get the job done” – this is the assessment of Walter Russell Mead, a renowned expert on American foreign policy.

Israel Air Force fighter jet. Photo: IDF

“The U.S. has a lot of things to think about in a lot of places and I’m sure Obama feels that he has enough wars in the Middle East already,” Mead said in a conversation with Haaretz. Continue Reading »

Missile Strikes Empty School in Be’er Sheva

A terrorist missile from Gaza struck the courtyard of an empty school in Be’er Sheva Sunday afternoon. Another rocket damaged 15 houses.

A terrorist missile from Gaza struck the courtyard of an empty school in Be’er Sheva Sunday afternoon. Another rocket damaged 15 houses. The city’s order to close all schools saved possible mass casualties.

Israelis run for cover from rocket attack

Israelis run for cover from rocket attack - Photo by Reuters

More than 25 missiles were fired on southern Israel Sunday, several of them intercepted by the Iron Dome system, which automatically weeds out missiles that are aimed at open areas, but is not foolproof;.

The rocket attack on Be’er Sheva was not intercepted and caused widespread property damage as well as sending several people into shock. Continue Reading »

Stones thrown at firemen called to Mount of Olives

Incident including Arab stone throwers follows ongoing deterioration of security situation.

 

Firefighters who attempted to put out a dumpster fire were attacked on Saturday on the Mount of Olives in east Jerusalem, another stone-throwing attack in a series of incidents at the cemetery.

A man prays at the Mount of Olives cemetery.

A man prays at the Mount of Olives cemetery - Photo by Ronen Zvulun / Reuters

According to Jerusalem firefighter spokesman Asaf Abras, after a number of people started throwing rocks, the firefighters tried to reverse their direction but the “rain of stones” continued while a crowd formed at the scene.

Firefighters left the scene after the rocks smashed the windshield and other rocks damaged the sides of the firetruck.

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