Israeli tank near Gaza
Photo: Tsafrir Abayon
6 mortar shells fired at western Negev
Several hours after IDF kills four terrorists attempting to carry out attack in Gaza region, Palestinians target southern Israel; no injuries or damages reported in attack, local residents urged to stay close to fortified sites
Palestinians fired six mortar shells at open areas in the western Negev Wednesday afternoon. No injuries or damages were reported in the attack, which followed the killing of four terrorists earlier in the day.
The mortar attack was carried out by Hamas' military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, although the group did not officially claim responsibility for the barrage. Members of the Brigades said that the response to the IDF operation would be painful.
Following the thwarted attack, authorities raised the alert level at Gaza-region communities for fear of a Palestinian response in the form of rocket or mortar fire. Local residents were urged to remain close to fortified sites in case of more attacks.
Attack Thwarted
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"Should Olmert the terrorist plan a confrontation with Hamas, we are informing the settlers in the Strip's vicinity to prepare for a difficult clash," one group member said. "The Israeli threats will not deter us."
Hamas also noted that the Israeli operation followed a speech delivered by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday where he slammed Hamas. The group's spokesman in the Palestinian parliament said that Abbas' speech gave the "green light" to the IDF operation.
However, sources in the Gaza Strip estimate that for the time being Hamas prefers to stick with mortar attacks, rather than rocket fire, in order to make it clear that it views the barrages as a one-time response to a specific IDF operation. At the same time, Palestinian groups said that they reserve the right to decide on a response in the near future. Moreover, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees also took part in Wednesday's mortar attack.
Shmulik Hadad contributed to the story
