Gaza Strip, the Palestinian truce is slain in an Israeli raid

GAZA – A Palestinian was killed today in an Israeli air raid on the Gaza Strip, just hours after the start of a tacit truce between Israel and the Palestinian militias, mediated by Egypt and welcomed by Hamas. Israeli military sources said that a group of militiamen near Rafah was shot and was preparing to launch a rocket against Israel in the western Neghev. According to Palestinian sources, the Israeli attack would have also caused an injury.

The raid took place near the city of Rafah, located on the southern border of the Gaza Strip, and brought the number of Palestinian victims to 10 in an escalation of violence that began Saturday afternoon. Also, an Israeli killed. Just to put an end to this new flare, the parties had agreed on a cease-fire that now risks wavering. “Islamic Jihad has responded positively to the offer of truce, while it reserves the right to react to any aggression,” announced Abi Ahmad, spokesman for the Quds Brigades movement’s armed wing. Radio Jerusalem, for its part, reports that Egyptian diplomacy intervened to put an end to hostilities, addressing inter alia the leaders of Islamic Jihad not only in Gaza but also in Damascus. As it turns out, even Hamas has persuaded the Islamic Jihad to stop the attacks on the Negev.

Tension had risen again last Wednesday when, after weeks of calm, Palestinian militants in Gaza resumed launching Grad missiles at the southern city of Ashod. The Iraqi forces responded with air raids that in turn caused new missile launches on the Palestinian side.

(October 30, 2011)