Senior Israeli security officials on Wednesday endorsed Hamas’ message that rocket attacks on Israel were not initiated by the movement, not even by the Islamic Jihad, but by “rebellious organizations that do not comply with Hamas’ strict orders to refrain from violating the truce.”
Sources said that the Israeli security services do not yet know the identity of those who fired rockets from Gaza towards the southern Israeli towns, but they believed Hamas and Jihad messages that they have not changed their policies and that they were strictly committed to calm the situation.
The sources said those who fired the rockets were “chaotic and rebel organizations,” adding: “There are many such organizations in the Gaza Strip that have a lot of weapons.”
These explanations came after the Israeli army had responded to the shelling from the Gaza Strip, with heavy raids on Hamas positions. According to a statement by the military spokesman in Tel Aviv, “Hamas is responsible for firing the shells.”
Gunmen from Gaza fired two rockets. One was intercepted the Iron Dome system, while the second landed in an open area. It is believed that the gunmen are opposed to Hamas or dissatisfied with the recent truce and aim to embarrass the movement, which did not participate in the latest round of fighting between Israel and Islamic Jihad.
Since then, in a rare shift, Friday’s demonstrations on the Gaza border have been canceled for two weeks in a row.
Israel and Hamas are not seeking a new confrontation, as evidenced by Israel’s deliberate attack on open positions and Hamas’ failure to respond.
Palestinian rockets or Israeli shelling caused no casualties. Observers noted that Israel sometimes allowed sporadic fire without response in order to avoid escalating tensions.
