Hamas managed to honor the United Nations-sponsored five-hour “humanitarian ceasefire” for a grand total of two hours before attacking Israel with mortar shells. It waited until less than a minute after the end of the ceasefire to stage a massive attack on Israel with more than 50 rockets and missiles from the south to north of Tel Aviv Thursday afternoon.
No serious injuries have been reported, but at least one home in Ashkelon sustained damage. The Iron Dome intercepted several missiles fired at Tel Aviv and surrounding cities, including Kfar Saba to the north.
At noon, two hours after the brief ceasefire was upheld by Israel and Hamas, the terrorist regime hit the Eshkol region in the Western Negev with three mortar shells
Hamas also Hamas executed four civilians for collaborating with Israel during the Protect Edge counter-terrorist campaign that began last week. More than a dozen of others have been arrested and face the same fate.
Foreign leaders have not commented on the executions or commented if they represented a “disproportionate response.”
Hamas followed up the mortar shelling with rocket attacks seconds after the official end of the ceasefire, shooting at Ashkelon, Gaza Belt communities and Be’er Sheva within an hour.
By 6 p.m., the Iron Dome system already was in action over the skies of Tel Aviv.
After the initial attacks, the IDF swiftly responded, bombing terror targets in northern and central Gaza.
Israel has suffered a bad name following the bombing of Gaza beach on Wednesday that had been used by terrorists but where children also were playing until the Air Force combed the area killing at least four minors.
Hamas also suffered PR damage when it was exposed again for using civilian areas for terror. UNRWA discovered weapons in one of its school, as reported here.
Foreign leaders or would-be leaders, ranging from former U.S. President Bill Clinton to Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, castigated Israel, Erdogan told a meeting of Islamic scholars in in Turkey, “Since 1948, we have been witnessing this attempt at systematic genocide every day and every month. But above all we are witnessing this attempt at systematic genocide every Ramadan.”
Clinton, whose Oslo Accords unwittingly created “new Middle East” exactly opposite of what he intended, still is on the soap box preaching that Israel is the reason Hamas attacks.
“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu could and should make a comprehensive peace agreement with the Palestinians,” he told an Indian news channel Wednesday.
“Over the long run it is not good for Israel to keep isolating itself from world opinion because of the absence of a viable peace process,” he added. “In the short to medium term, Hamas can inflict terrible public relations damage on Israel by forcing it to kill Palestinian civilians to counter Hamas.”
Did he really say “civilians”? Did he really say Israel might suffer, oy veh, “public relations damage.”
Now we have another reason why the U.S. Constitution prevents a president from running for a third term.
There also are other reasons, such as Barack Obama.