Palestinians fire some 50 missiles, mortars from Gaza after Israel assented to ceasefire
June 12, 2008, 5:18 PM (GMT+02:00)

DEBKAfile’s military sources report that 18 missiles and rockets and 30 mortar rounds pounded the Ashkelon region, Shear Hanegev north of the Gaza Strip and Sderot, Thursday afternoon, June 12. A woman from Kibbutz Yad Mordecai was injured. A Palestinian bulldozer carrying Hamas gunmen attempted to crash the border fence to attack Netiv Ha’asara under cover of the flying missiles. It was stopped by Israeli fire and the terrorists fled. Kibbutz Nir Oz was pounded by mortars for the second day.

In Ashkelon, sirens warned people to take shelter as fires broke out and falling missiles exploded near the Barzilai regional hospital.

This was not the first Palestinian round of attacks Thursday. Earlier, as the Israeli defense ministry’s political coordinator Amos Gilead traveled to Cairo to hand over Israel’s acceptance of the Egyptian formula for a truce in Gaza, a pair of Hamas terrorists headed out of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza to strike Israel military guard posts at the Erez border crossing. They were intercepted and at least one was killed by Israeli ground and air fire.

Wednesday, Israel’s security cabinet approved the decision by prime minister Ehud Olmert and defense minister Ehud Barak to accept a ceasefire with Hamas (called “a lull”), instead of launching the large-scale military operation needed to finally relieve southwestern Israel of daily Palestinian missile, rocket and mortar attacks. That decision was greeted by the heaviest Palestinian barrage in months, after a week of mounting attacks from Gaza.

The population is preparing further protest action, accusing the Olmert government of cowardice, sacrificing their security for self-serving political ends and risking the loss of the Negev, the southern half of Israel.

50 missiles and 30 mortars

That is tooo much. It is act of war.