Shaath: No West Bank violence unless settlers start it

PLO official Nabil Shaath said Sunday that he does not see any risk of unrest in the West Bank unless settlers instigate it.

Speaking with Army Radio, Shaath said, "We are not going to allow any unrest in the West Bank, neither politically nor security wise." Politically, he said, "I think our people are quite satisfied not to go back to

violence and are going in this fight to continue their peaceful struggle for independence and for real peace and a two-state solution."

Addressing the risk of violence, Shaath added, "I don't see any risk of having unrest in the West Bank unless the Israeli settlers want to create that."

Asked why the Palestinian leadership refuses to recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people, Shaath responded that the Jewish people, on their own, decided "that they have really built their state that is not only for the Jewish people because 22 percent of Israelis are not Jewish."

Presented with statements attributed to the Palestinian Authority envoy to the United States last week that a Palestinian state would be without Jews, Shaath said that Maen Areikat "never said 'Jewish free,'" but rather "that at the beginning of our peace, we want to separate."

Asked whether settlers would be allowed to live in a future Palestinian state, he added, "If [settlers] decide to accept Palestinian citizenship and buy the territory that they have and live as individual citizens, then why not?"

Addressing the possibility to avert a vote in either the United Nations Security Council or General Assembly on recognition of Palestinian statehood and an immediate return to direct negotiations with Israel, the senior Palestinian official put forth one condition.

"Of course there is a chance to start direct negotiations," Shaath said, "you stop your settlement and we'll go tomorrow to direct negotiations."

'Terrorist was trying to get to the kids'(Photos)

Security guards working at the south Tel Aviv night club targeted by a terrorist Sunday night recalled the moments of horror from their hospital beds, and said that the outcome could have been much worse had the attacker managed to enter the club.

"I have no doubt that he was trying to get to the kids," one of Haoman 17's security guards, Aviv Krief, told

Ynet. "I'm afraid to think what would have happened if he succeeded. There were thousands of kids there. It was a miracle they weren't hurt." Krief was hit by the by the terrorist's car in the first moments of the attack, and suffered broken bones.

Eight people were hospitalized when the terrorist, a 20-year-old Palestinian resident of Nablus, ran over people standing outside the club before proceeding to stab officers and security guards.

Most of the wounded were Border Guards securing a nearby roadblock.

The terrorist, who was lightly injured, was taken to the Wolfson Medical Center and was placed under heavy security. He admitted during questioning that he had been planning the attack for some time now, and had purchased a knife specifically for the purpose of carrying it out.

"I stood at the roadblock, and suddenly he came out of nowhere with the cab, driving fast towards us," Krief recalled. "He hit a police officer and then me, and then he stopped. I didn't think it was a terror attack, I thought it was an accident. He was driving 100km an hour. I didn't know it was intentional, I thought it might be a kid that we didn't allow in, doing something stupid. There was screaming coming from all around us.

"The next thing I know the terrorist is lying next to me (at the hospital), and I'm imagining what I would do to him if only I could," Krief added. "He knew there was a club there. It wasn't a coincidence."

'He had murder in his eyes'

Another security guard who was sharing Kreif's hospital room said the attacker appeared deranged as flung his knife around.

"We were securing the party when we heard a loud noise about 100 meters from the club's entrance," he recounted the sequence of events. "We ran to the crash site, where I saw an officer lying on the road in a puddle of blood.

"Then I saw the terrorist with a large knife. He wouldn't stop stabbing. He was gripped by insanity, he thrust his knife over and over without stopping or talking. I immediately jumped on him and tried to take the knife out of his hand. I punched him hard to stun him, but he managed to stab me as well. "

The guard, who asked to remain unnamed, said the outcome could have been worse.

"He had murder in his eyes," he said. "It took us a few minutes to subdue him. The club was full of kids. If he would have reached them, it could have ended in a bloodbath."

A., a guard working at another nearby club, lunged at the attacker to try to pry the knife out of his hand, but was stabbed as well. He said that the Border Guard officers serving on the scene played a significant part in preventing further bloodshed.

"They were heroes," he said. "I have no words… the terrorist fought like a lion and screamed 'Allahu Akbar.' He was an average person, but very strong."

Supervisor Lior Hen, who witnessed the terror attack and took part in arresting the perpetrator, said that the Border Guard was instructed by the police to increase security around night clubs for the duration of the summer break.

"The Tel Aviv backdrop creates a sense of security, but our training prepare us for such incidents exactly," he said. "Thanks to our training sessions, we knew how to act swiftly to prevent more injuries."

Obama, Clinton denounce attacks on Israel(Photo-Video)

The White House and State Department denounced Thursday's attacks in southern Israel, in which gunmen armed with heavy weapons and explosives attacked buses, cars and an army patrol.

Israel said the Palestinian assailants from Gaza killed seven people after crossing through Egypt's Sinai

Peninsula. Within hours, Israeli aircraft bombed southern Gaza in retaliation.

"We condemn the brutal terrorist attacks in southern Israel today in the strongest terms," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement. "Our deepest condolences go to the victims, their families and loved ones, and we wish those injured a speedy recovery. The U.S. and Israel stand united against terror, and we hope that those behind this attack will be brought to justice swiftly."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also spoke out against the attacks:

The United States condemns today's attacks in southern Israel and all acts of terrorism in the strongest terms. These brutal and cowardly attacks appear to be premeditated acts of terrorism against innocent civilians. Our deepest condolences go out to the victims, their families and loved ones.

This violence only underscores our strong concerns about the security situation in the Sinai Peninsula. Recent commitments by the Egyptian government to address the security situation in the Sinai are important, and we urge the Egyptian government to find a lasting resolution.

The United States and Israel are united in the fight against terror. We hope that those involved in the planning of these gruesome attacks will be brought to swift justice. We stand by Israel as our friend, partner and ally -- now and always.

Israeli navy halts French yacht trying to breach Gaza blockade

JERUSALEM - Israeli naval forces boarded a French yacht off the Gaza coast yesterday as the yacht tried to breach the Israeli maritime blockade of the Palestinian enclave. The forces met no resistance, Israeli military officials said, and steered the yacht toward the Israeli port of Ashdod.

The yacht is a remnant of an international flotilla that had planned to challenge the blockade last month but was mostly thwarted.

The flotilla organizers had wanted to mark a year since the last flotilla, an attempt to reach Gaza that ended in bloodshed, and to highlight the restrictions on the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza. Israel says its blockade is essential to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza, which is run by Hamas, the Islamic militant group. The naval blockade was formally imposed in early 2009 during Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

In May 2010, Israeli naval commandos met with resistance when they boarded a large Turkish passenger vessel trying to breach the blockade, and they fatally shot nine activists on the ship. The episode led to intense international pressure on Israel to ease its restrictions on Gaza.

The amount and variety of goods allowed into the enclave over land crossings have increased significantly, and Egypt reopened the Rafah passenger crossing on its border with Gaza. But the capacity of the crossing is limited; there are currently 23,000 Palestinians on a waiting list to leave Gaza by way of Rafah, said Gisha, an Israeli advocacy group that focuses on freedom of movement for Palestinians. The export of goods has also been severely limited to a small amount of agricultural produce.

The latest flotilla, which organizers had hoped would include up to 10 vessels and some 300 passengers, was beset by problems from the outset. Israel worked intensely at the diplomatic level to stymie the operation, and most of the vessels in the flotilla were prevented from leaving Greek ports by Greek authorities. Members of the flotilla also said two of the vessels were sabotaged.

The lone yacht that managed to set out for Gaza this week, the Dignite-Al Karama, left the French island of Corsica with 16 passengers and crew on board. Among them were an honorary member of the French Parliament, a crew from Al Jazeera, and an Israeli journalist.

The French-flagged yacht anchored in international waters before the last leg of its voyage Monday, according to organizers from the Free Gaza Movement.

The boat represented “the steadfastness and determination of the flotilla movement to sail until the blockade is broken,’’ the group said in a statement issued hours before the yacht was taken over.

Yesterday morning, the Israeli navy made contact with the yacht and requested that it change course, a call that the vessel ignored. The Israeli military released a recording of a radio exchange with someone on board, who said the vessel was a private cruiser boat, that it carried no cargo, and that its final destination was Gaza.

Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai, the Israeli military’s chief spokesman, said that the captain had lied to Greek authorities during its voyage, telling them that the yacht’s destination was Egypt.

“After dialogue reached a dead end, naval commandos boarded the yacht and took control of it without facing resistance,’’ Mordechai said.

AP Exclusive: Israeli, Palestinian forces hope to thwart violence in September

Israeli and Palestinian security forces are already taking precautions to avoid an outbreak of violence after an expected U.N. vote for Palestinian independence in September, officials on both sides said Sunday, reflecting shared concerns about the possibility of renewed fighting this fall.

For now, Israeli and Palestinian officials said they do not want — or expect — armed hostilities to resume.
But both sides fear that one small incident could quickly spin out of control.
“We need only popular and peaceful struggle,” said Amin Makboul, a top official in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah Party. “We want to show the world that we are responsible and deserve to be part of the international community.”
After the bitter lessons of last decade’s Palestinian uprising, the Palestinians do not want to give Israel any “pretext” to claim the Palestinians are not serious about creating a peaceful state, Makboul added.
A top Palestinian security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Abbas recently issued a straightforward order to his commanders: “I don’t want any violent actions in September,” the official quoted Abbas as saying. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a sensitive internal meeting.
Israeli and Palestinian officials both say the region is headed into uncharted waters if the Palestinians follow through on their pledge to turn to the United Nations.
Each side is trying to prepare for all scenarios. Mostly it is in closed forums whose deliberations are so tightly guarded as to suggest a fear that the mere mention of a new Palestinian uprising might somehow contribute to tensions. However, some preparations are more public.
Some 1,000 Israeli military officers held a two-day drill last week to prepare for September, discussing such issues as crowd-control tactics and the latest intelligence, officials say.
The army will use the coming months to fine-tune its preparations in hopes of avoiding bloodshed, they said.
Abbas has said he will seek an international endorsement of Palestinian independence if peace talks with Israel remain stalled, as they have been for nearly three years. The U.S. has stepped up efforts to find a formula for renewing negotiations in recent weeks, but there have been no signs of a breakthrough.
The Palestinians say they will not resume talks until Israel freezes all contruction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem — areas captured in 1967 which they claim for a future state.
A senior Palestinian official has hinted the Palestinians will ease this demand if Israel accepts President Barack Obama’s formula of basing a future Palestinian state on Israel’s pre-1967 frontiers, with agreed land swaps. Setting the rough outlines of a future border at the outset, the thinking goes, would largely solve the settlement issue on its own — since Israel would know which of the communities it will ultimately be able to keep.
Israel has reacted coolly to Obama’s plan, saying that all issues, including settlements and final borders, should be reached in negotiations.

Presidentially, Perry urges U.S. to halt Gaza flotilla (Photo-Video)

AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry, highlighting his affinity for Israeli causes as he contemplates a presidential run, has urged U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to aggressively work against a planned pro-Palestinian flotilla aimed at Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.
"As an American citizen and governor of one of its largest states, I write to applaud your recent efforts to warn and discourage those who have supported or plan to support a flotilla intended to interfere with Israel's

maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip," Perry wrote in a June 28 letter released on Wednesday.
"More importantly, I write to encourage you to aggressively pursue all available legal remedies to enjoin and prevent these illegal actions, and to prosecute any who may elect to engage in them in spite of your preemptive efforts," Perry wrote.
Perry asked that the Justice Department "take immediate steps" against those found to be violating U.S. law, including bans on participating in a naval expedition against people with whom the United States is at peace and providing "material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization."
Perry long has shown an interest in Israel, but the letter sparked fresh attention in light of his possible White House aspirations.
"Fundamentalist Christians have Israel as one of their central concepts, so anything that a presidential candidate could do to identify with Israel would pay dividends with the fundamentalists who comprise 60 percent of the Iowa caucus," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
Support for Israel
In his letter, Perry noted media reports of American citizens and organizations working with others to organize the breach of Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
He said the reports - along with information from a lawsuit and from Shurat HaDin, which describes itself as an Israeli-based civil rights organization - indicate that at least two participating ships are registered in Delaware, and that U.S. organizations have raised or channeled money for the effort using U.S.-based Web sites.
A 2010 flotilla was intercepted by Israel, resulting in nine deaths.
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Shurat HaDin director, said by email that her group requested Perry's assistance. A New York Times story from Athens on Wednesday cited the group's work against the planned flotilla.
"We knew of his strong support for the State of Israel and his powerful opposition to terrorism and believed that if he was provided the details of all this criminal activity being perpetrated against the citizens of Israel in the United States by Hamas supporters, he would be moved to take action against it," Darshan-Leitner said in the email.
Those promoting the flotilla have said they only intend to assist the "civil population" in Gaza, according to the New York Times story.
Perry has more than once visited Israel and has touted what he calls its "special kinship" with Texas.
Sincere? Political?
State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, said she and Perry have had many conversations about Israel and that she's convinced of Perry's "commitment and his deep passion for the Israeli people, and for the country itself."
"I really do think this is sincere," she said. "Is it political? Probably. Is it sincere? Absolutely."
Dean Boyd, spokesman for the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, said the agency is reviewing Perry's letter.
" ... The department generally does not comment publicly on whether an investigation has been or will be launched into a particular matter,"

IDF: Some flotilla activists planning to kill soldiers

Army sources tell 'Post' they have intelligence showing some participants in upcoming flotilla plan to use chemical weapons against troops; flotilla member Dror Feiler: Claims "are attempt to justify IDF violence."
IDF sources said Monday night that new intelligence information obtained in recent days shows that participants of the flotilla planning to break Israel’s sea blockade over the Gaza Strip later this week plan to kill IDF soldiers who board their ships.

According to the information obtained by the IDF, some of the participants have prepared sacks with sulfur, which they plan to pour on the soldiers as they board the vessels.
“This is a chemical weapon, and if poured on a soldier it can paralyze him,” an IDF source told The Jerusalem Post Monday night. “If the sulfur is then lit on fire, the soldier will light up like a torch.”
The information was obtained from closed meetings held by participants on the ships during which some voiced their intention to “murder Israeli soldiers,” according to the IDF.
In response to the IDF's statements, Dror Feiler, an Israeli participant on the upcoming flotilla, told Army Radio that the claims "are an attempt to justify in advance IDF violence."
Feiler said that as long as it is up to flotilla organizers, activists planning to harm IDF soldiers will not participate in the mission.
"If Israel suspects any one, it should provide us with information so we can stop him. Violent people are not permitted to take part in the flotilla," he said.
"All of the passengers signed a pledge of non-violence, because we don't want a repeat of what happened in the last flotilla," Feiler stressed. "We have no intention of confronting anyone. We just want to arrive in Gaza in peace. Israel has no reason to stop the flotilla."
"The situation in Israel, with its army and security forces fighting a group of 20 organizations, is funny. The world does not believe it, and neither does the State of Israel itself," he said.
In related news, despite earlier predictions that members of the Turkish organization IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation would not participate in the flotilla, it now appears that some members will sail with the ships alongside other radical Islamic activists.
The Navy has begun its final preparations to stop the vessels, and the IDF sources said that commandos who board the ships will be prepared for a wide-range of scenarios from no violence at all to extreme and violent resistance from the passengers.

Israel plots ways to repel new Gaza flotilla

Israel's security cabinet was to convene on Monday for a second day of discussions on how to stave off an international flotilla intending to breach the naval blockade of Gaza, local media said. On Sunday, ministers in the forum were told of the military's preparations for the 10-ship convoy which is expected to set sail from Greece later this week.
"Yesterday, the ministers decided not to allow the ships to anchor in the Gaza Strip, although they will be

allowed to unload their cargo at (the Israeli port) of Ashdod or the Egyptian port of El-Arish," Israeli army radio said.
"If no weapons or ammunition are found, the cargo will be transferred in its entirety to Gaza."
Public radio said Cairo had already agreed to allow the ships to dock at El-Arish, a Mediterranean port which lies some 30 miles (50 kilometres) west of Egypt's border with Gaza.
So far, there has been no official Israeli statement on the closed-door ministerial deliberations.
The free-distribution daily Israel Hayom, considered close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, quoted navy chief Eliezer Marom as telling ministers that his men were better prepared than they were last May, when marine commandos stormed the lead ship of a previous flotilla, killing nine Turks.
"Our forces are ready to stop the flotilla and not to allow the ships to reach Gaza," an unnamed political source told the paper.
About 350 pro-Palestinian activists from 22 countries are set to join the "Freedom Flotilla II" which is expected to comprise some 10 vessels.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and several international leaders have urged the flotilla not to set sail, and Washington has warned US nationals not to join the attempt to break the embargo.
Israel first imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2006 after militants there snatched Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a deadly cross-border raid. He is still being held.
A ban on civilian goods and foodstuffs was eased last year but many restrictions remain in place.

Carter calls on international community to support Hamas-Fatah unity deal

Former United States President Jimmy Carter hailed the Palestinian unity government and called on the international community to also support it as well in an opinion peace published by the Washington Post on Wednesday.

"If the United States and the international community support this effort, they can help Palestinian democracy and establish the basis for a unified Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza that can make a secure peace with Israel," Carter wrote in the op-ed. "If they remain aloof or undermine the agreement, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory may deteriorate with a new round of violence against Israel."

Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah are meeting in Cairo on Wednesday in order to sign a reconciliation deal that would lead to an interim unity government.

The former U.S. president issued a statement on Friday commending the reconciliation, which he said would "begin the process of reunifying the Palestinian people."

Carter writes in his opinion peace that with international support, the Palestinian reconciliation "could lead to a durable cease-fire" with Israel. He also wrote that he condemned Hamas rocket fire from Gaza into Israel.

Israel has rejected the Hamas-Fatah unity agreement, with Netanyahu saying shortly after it was announced that "the Palestinian Authority must choose either peace with Israel or peace with Hamas. There is no possibility for peace with both. Hamas aspires to destroy Israel and fires rockets at our cities ... at our children."

Carter claimed that Israelis "say that as long as the Palestinians are divided, there is no partner for peace. But at the same time, they refuse to accept a unity government."

The Quartet should work with the new Palestinian government to be able to "jump-start final-status negotiations with Israel," Carter concluded.

Livni: Netanyahu isolating Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will have to choose between Israel and Hamas, Defense Minister Ehud Barak stated that Israel will not hold negotiation with a Fatah-Hamas government, but while Opposition Chairwoman Tzipi Livni (Kadima) seems to echo this firm stance, she says Netanyahu is responsible for the rough political waters Israel finds itself in.

"Netanyahu is not only failing to exercise damage control, or finding an alternative, he continues to derail Israel," she told Ynet Sunday.

"Leadership should have an impact. It is not too late, but Netanyahu is not doing anything. Talking about threats is not enough, you have to offer solutions. This is what we have been talking about for two years. The government should present a policy, but there is a global lack of faith in the prime minister.

  "Israel has to present a policy that the world will believe in. You can't simply keep saying the world is against us," she said.

Livni, like Netanyahu and Barak, does not see Hamas as a negotiating partner: "Hamas is a very problematic organization, so any arrangement between Fatah and Hamas is cause for concern.

"The burden of proof lies with the new (Palestinian) government – if there is one – while Israel's test is to make sure that the Palestinian government follows the terms set by the Quartet – recognizing Israel, abandoning terror and abiding by previous agreements."

After the 2006 Palestinian elections, she added, the Kadima government demanded the world's support against Hamas. "The world knew the choice was between Israel, Fatah and a viable peace process, and Hamas and Iran. This is not happening today, because Netanyahu fails to present any alternative."

Livni, however, has only a vague answer to the question of "What now?" The opposition chairwoman said that back in 2006, the Kadima government "counted to 10" vis-à-vis Hamas' rise to power: "We called everyone and explained that Hamas was impossible to talk with. We created the Quartet's conditions, while simultaneously launching talks with the moderates.

"There are no negotiations today. Both Netanyahu and Abbas are standing on the edge of opposite icebergs, yelling at each other while actually only talking to their respective people. The icebergs are melting and the water is cold. This is his responsibility."

Failing policies

Netanyahu's initial reaction to the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation was "very bad" according to Livni. "The Israeli response not only discourages any future development, it seemingly jumps at the opportunity to say 'We told you so – this is another proof that we don't have a peace partner.'

"A Palestinian reconciliation prior to their statehood declaration in September is a very bad situation for Israel. Netanyahu is going to be the prime minister during whose term a Palestinian state was formed. Gaza will become Hamastan and this is a result of his inability to change the international trend."

Livni paints a bleak picture: "Netanyahu speaks aggressively against Hamas, but in reality, Hamas is gaining global legitimacy. The Gaza blockade is lifting slowly and Israel is getting weaker. The prime minister's response, saying nothing has a chance any more, will not make the world stand by us in the fight against Hamas. It will only isolate us further.

"Saying there is no partner is easy, but it does not work on a political level, no matter how many times Netanyahu says it," she added.

As for recent reports of the possibility the government will expand to include Kadima, Livni said that her party will not join a Netanyahu-led coalition, not even for September's "political tsunami," as Barak called it.

"Since this government came to be we have learned – every day – that there is no common denominator between Netanyahu and me. Netanyahu does not know how to make decisions and so he preserves a status quo that is detrimental to Israel. There is no reason for unity.

"Even facing a 'political tsunami' requires talking about a mutual path, not simply cowering in a corner in a manner that harms Israel and weakens it. Our situation has worsened over the past two years and Netanyahu cannot influence the international trends."

Livni vowed "to do everything possible against the Palestinians unilateral ambition. It is bad for Israel, but there is a difference between defending Israel and aiding the survival of a prime minister that only damages the country. I will not defend his policy, which prevents Israel from securing the world's support."

'Let Israel come and take Syria'

The Syrian government continues to crack-down on pro-reform protesters, with Monday's death toll reaching between 11 and 25 people during a demonstration in Daraa, according to varying reports.

Thousands of soldiers backed by tanks poured Monday into the city where the five-week-old uprising began, opening fire indiscriminately on civilians before dawn and killing at least 11 people, witnesses said.

The offensive was planned in detail with electricity, water and mobile phone services cut off and knife-wielding security agents conducting house-to-house sweeps.

Witnesses said busloads of troops poured in before dawn and snipers took up positions on the roofs of houses and high buildings while other security agents searched houses for suspected protesters.

"We need international intervention. We need countries to help us," a witness in Daraa told the Associated Press on the phone, adding that he saw five corpses after security forces opened fire on a car.

Watch tanks shoot at civilians in Daraa

"Let Obama come and take Syria. Let Israel come and take Syria. Let the Jews come – anything is better than Bashar Assad," he said, playing on Syria's hatred for Israel to highlight how much town residents despise their leader.

Meanwhile, the White House stepped up its condemnation of President Bashar Assad's regime, but stopped well short of demanding the ouster of a leader some US Democrats had considered a potential reformer and peace broker.

The US State Department on Monday told American citizens to leave Syria as soon as they can and ordered some personnel at the US Embassy in Damascus to depart the country.

Anti-tank missile, 3 mortars fired from Gaza Strip

Mortar damages power lines in Eshkol region, cuts power to local communities; over 120 projectiles fired into Israel over weekend.

Palestinians fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF tank on the southern Gaza border Sunday morning, following over 120 rockets and mortar shells fired into Israel over the weekend. No injuries were reported in the latest attack.

Earlier in the morning, three mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip and exploded in fields belonging to a Eshkol Regional Council kibbutz. No injuries were reported but electrical cables were damaged, causing a power outage that affected communities in the area.

Over 120 rockets and mortar shells slammed into Israel over the weekend as the IDF hammered the Gaza Strip and threatened to open a large ground offensive to stop the rocket attacks.

Five Israelis were reportedly wounded when scrambling to enter bomb shelters as rockets were being fired.

Throughout Saturday, a number of messages were relayed to Israel by various mediators with an offer of a cease-fire from Hamas’s political echelon in the Gaza Strip.

Defense officials said Hamas appeared to be split and that while its Izzadin Kassam military wing, led by Ahmed Jabari, was continuing to attack Israel, this was being done against the position of the political echelon led by Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.

The round of violence began on Thursday when Gazans fired an anti-tank missile at a school bus, critically wounding a 16- year-old boy and lightly injuring the driver. Hamas rocket and mortar attacks continued throughout Friday and Saturday in Beersheba, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ofakim, Sderot and other Gaza-belt communities.

Defense officials said more than 20 Hamas operatives were killed over the weekend and that dozens of others were wounded by a series of air strikes against Hamas positions, bases and launch sites.

The IAF carried out at least 46 strikes in Gaza.

“They have been hit hard and we will continue to strike at them as long as the rocket and terrorist attacks continue,” a senior defense official said on Saturday night.