Scene of deadly mortar attack in Kfar Aza Photo: Amir Cohen
Security source: Terrorists firing mortars to avoid retaliation
Increased use of 'soft' weapon such as mortars attempt by Gaza organizations to continue with terror-related activity without drawing Israeli response, security official says
The rise in the number of advanced mortars fired from Gaza has exposed a problem in the ability to warn Israeli residents of the incoming shells.
Deadly Attack
Kfar Aza residents 'startled by any door slamming' / Yonat Atlas
Kibbutz members find it difficult to come to terms with their friend's death by Palestinian mortar shell. 'We cannot continue living under fire without proper fortification,' one resident says
The problem, according to a security source, stems from the short-range mortars' very limited flight time.
"We must examine how to reduce the risk posed to the citizens of Israel
in the face of the mortar threat," the official said.
On Friday a 48-year-old Jimmy Kdoshim was killed by a mortar shell while working in his garden in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
IDF data reveal that the terrorists prefer the use of mortars over rockets and other missiles in their possession. "Mortars were the weapon of choice used against the Jewish settlements in Gush Katif prior to Israel's unilateral disengagement from Gaza (in the summer of 2005)," a security sources said, adding that the increased use of mortars over the past year was a calculated move on the part of Hamas.
The security source said the mortar is considered a "soft" weapon that can only result in relatively low number of casualties. "This (increased firing of mortars) is an attempt by terror organizations to continue with their terror-related activity without drawing an Israeli response," he said.
Some of the advanced 120-millimeter mortars fired at Israel are equipped with a rocket propelled engines that significantly increases their range to 6-10 kilometers.
"While these are not Qassam rockets, the advanced mortars pose a threat to the residents of Israel's Gaza-vicinity communities," another security official explained.
The IDF's alert systems do not always detect the launching of the mortars, and their range is too short to allow residents to take cover even if they are warned ahead of time.
"The Iron Dome (rocket interception) system is expected to provide a solution to these mortars, but it's still in development," according to the official.
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