Hamas militants attack Israel with rockets

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Source: CCTV.com | 11-15-2008 09:24

Hamas militants have bombarded a major southern Israeli city with rockets.

They unleashed their most powerful weapons yet in a week of tit-for-tat fighting that threatens to destroy a five-month-old cease-fire.

Hamas militants have bombarded a major southern Israeli city with rockets.(CCTV.com)

Friday's rocket attack was among the heaviest yet.

Nearly 20 rockets were fired into southern Israel, including four Katyusha rockets that landed in Ashkelon, some 11 kilometers north of Gaza.

One person in the southern Israeli town of Sderot was lightly wounded by shrapnel.

Friday's assaults followed an earlier strike by the Israeli air force, which targeted militants who were firing rockets from northern Gaza.

Israeli officials have warned local residents to stay home. They have also raised the alert level in preparation for more militant attacks.

Aviv Shiron, Spokesman of Israeli Foreign Ministry, said, "We will not tolerate attacks of Raab missiles and Qassam rockets on Israeli civilians in Sderot and Ashkelon. And the recent attempts to infiltrate Israeli territory through terror units. We are interested in the cease fire, we wouldn't like to see a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, but we will not sit back and see Israeli civilians being attacked."

Also on Friday, Hamas supporters held a rally in Gaza City in a show of strength. Hamas officials say the militants are now able to hit targets deeper in Israel than ever before.

Mahnoud Zahar, Hamas Leader in Gaza, said, "We are going to continue self-defense and self-resistance against the occupation and now we are waiting for the Israelis, if they are committed really, they have to address that frankly otherwise they will be responsible about the fate of the ceasefire."

Nevertheless, both Israel and Hamas leaders in Gaza still hope for calm to return.

In an emergency meeting late on Friday, Israeli leaders decided against any immediate major military action. But the two sides have also vowed to strike hard at each other should more violence be unleashed.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei