Hamas men wounded in Gaza strike

Operatives are responsible for making Kassam rockets; 9 others wounded.

By YAAKOV KATZ, JPOSTLEO GIOSUÈCOM STAFF, AP
iaf strike gaza 298.88 (photo credit: AP)
iaf strike gaza 298.88
(photo credit: AP)
Hours after the IDF cancelled a missile strike on a home in the Gaza Strip which was surrounded by a Palestinian human shield, IAF aircraft bombed a car carrying terrorists in Gaza City Sunday afternoon wounding nine people including two heads of Hamas's Kassam rocket infrastructure. Palestinian hospital officials said four of the nine wounded were teenagers, including a 13-year-old, who were hurt by shrapnel. According to the IDF, one of the Hamas terrorists in the car was a senior member of the terror group, responsible for the manufacturing of Kassam rockets. Also Sunday, 11 Kassam rockets pounded the western Negev, mostly landing in Sderot and seriously wounding one resident. Last week, one woman was killed and two others were serisouly wounded in a Kassam barrage on the southern town. The IAF missile strike followed an announcement by Attallah Khairi, the Palestinian Ambassador to Jordan, who said that Fatah's Badr Brigade was making final preparations to enter Gaza, following the IDF shelling in Beit Hanun that resulted in the accidental deaths of 19 Palestinian civilians. Israel has yet to give its final consend to allow the 1,500 soldiers enter into Gaza but Khaii said he was hopeful they would arrive by the end of the year. The standoff over the home of the wanted Palestinian began late Saturday when Mohammed Baroud, leader the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) and involved in Kassam rocket fire on Israel, was informed by the army that his house would be hit. The three-story building is home to 17 people from Baroud's clan. Instead of leaving, Baroud decided to stay in his home and called in reinforcements. He was quickly joined by crowds of supporters, including dozens of armed men, who gathered on balconies, rooftops and in the streets outside. Local mosques and Palestinian TV and radio stations also mobilized supporters. The crowd chanted anti-Israel and anti-American slogans, and people said they were prepared to give their lives to protect the home. "Yes to martyrdom, no to surrender," the crowd chanted. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas stopped by to show his support. "We are so proud of this national stand. It's the first step toward protecting our homes, the homes of our children," he said. Meanwhile Sunday, the IDF rejected United Nations claims that stray Israeli gunfire had hit a UN school in the northern Gaza Strip, wounding two children, including a 7-year-old boy who was hit in the head as he sat at his desk. The UN Relief and Works Agency appealed for protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip after Saturday's shooting. "At present, children are not safe even in United Nations classrooms. We urgently need a solution," said John Ging, the agency's Gaza field director. The military said there was no army activity in the area The spokesman's office said a thorough investigation showed there was no Israeli gunfire in that area. The IDF said it was possible the building was struck by Palestinian gunfire. The incident was the first time Palestinians have tried to prevent an airstrike.