Gaza Attacks

From the BBC:

"Gaza mortar barrage fired at Israel heaviest in years"

Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired dozens of mortars at Israel in the heaviest such barrage in years. More than 30 were launched. Most were intercepted though one landed in the yard of a kindergarten, slightly wounding a worker. Israel responded with air strikes on militant positions in Gaza. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The latest flare-up follows weeks of Israel-Gaza violence which has seen more than 100 Palestinians killed. They were shot dead by Israeli snipers amid protests which saw thousands of Palestinians mass on the Gaza-Israel border in support of their refugee population. Israel said its snipers had opened fire on attackers or people attempting to infiltrate under cover of protests, but UN and human right officials have accused Israel of using disproportionate force. Sirens warning of incoming fire rang out in Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip on and off on Monday. The Israeli military said the biggest volley of mortar shells was fired at several sites in Israel in the early hours, with most intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile defence system. Some mortars landed, included one in the grounds of a kindergarten in the Eshkol region, which borders Gaza, shortly before pupils were due to arrive. More shells were launched in subsequent attacks, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military "will respond very forcefully" to the attacks, which he blamed on Gaza's ruling Hamas movement and the smaller Gaza-based militant group Islamic Jihad. Following the barrage, Israeli aircraft struck bases belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, local residents said. The official news agency of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, Wafa, said Israel had also fired at least 10 artillery shells at sites east of Gaza City after the first mortar attack, causing damage but no injuries. Hours earlier, machine-gun fire from Gaza hit houses and vehicles in the Israeli border town of Sderot, though without causing injuries, the IDF said.  The upsurge in violence came after Israeli tank fire killed four militants in Gaza in two separate incidents at the start of the week.  A member of Hamas was killed on Monday after Israeli soldiers caught a group attempting to breach the border and carry out an attack, while on Sunday three members of Islamic Jihad were killed after placing an explosive device on the border fence, the IDF said. The latest cross-border violence is some of the heaviest since a 50-day war between Israel and militants in Gaza in 2014. That followed an upsurge of rocket fire into Israel, and the killing by Israel of the commander of Hamas's military wing.

^ Even the Palestinians in the West Bank have cut ties with the Palestinians in Gaza because Gaza is governed by the internationally-recognized terrorist group - Hamas. Regardless of who is in charge you would think that the Palestinians (and everyone else) would learn after 70 years that you can not bomb Israel into submission. Israel has the Iron Dome and several other missile defense systems that shoot down missiles which proved itself in 2012 when it was first used and has proven itself ever since. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-44287594