Eilat Pelted by Two Grad Rockets

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                   

Eilat was hit by 2 grad rockets this morning by a Salafi Muslim jihadist group with probable ties to al-Qaeda, "The lions of the Mujahedeen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem."  .   One landed in an open area while the other exploded in a back yard.    This is a resort town on the Red Sea that vacationing Scandinavians love.  In the past rockets are usually from the Sinai Peninsula.  This area has become a center for terrorists since Mubarak took over in the fall of 2011.

People suffered shock and anxiety but no one was injured.  The airport was closed as a precaution.  Schools remained open.

Aqaba, Jordan is across the bay from Eilat. could have also been hit but information isn't forthcoming to Israel.  Last year Eilat was hit several time by the group, Ansar Jerusalem.

The Red Sea forms Israel's southern outlet to the Indian Ocean by way of Eilat.  The sea itself is a branch of the Indian Ocean that goes from the Strait of Aden to Suez and Eilat.  It had been thought of as the "Reed Sea" that the Israelites crossed during the Exodus from Egypt.  It's long and narrow, giving one a sandy beach with protected water that's warm and lovely to visit in the middle of winter.  It has a coral reef and night life, making it very attractive with a dry desert climate as it's on the southern Negev desert.  46,600 people live here.

Yesterday a terrorist or more likely terrorists set off 2 bombs in the Boston Marathon which killed 3 and injured close to 150 people, some extremely serious with lost limbs.  This has set off a series of threats of all kinds all over the USA, and here in Israel, a grad rocket attack.  Since Hamas terrorists in Gaza are the ruling political party, they are responsible for this attack. The Salafi party in Egypt is even more unreasonable that the Muslim Brotherhood, so must be out to show their strength.

Resource:  http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/167221#.UW7FUaKOTqE
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e6ec7a72-a731-11e2-bfcd-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2QjoNPEyl (cookies here)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eilat
http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Rockets-slam-into-Eilat-following-Code-Red-siren-310043

Grad Rocket Hits Southern Israel on Shabbat

Nadene Goldfoot
A 122 mm Grad rocket fell into an open desert of the Arava region in southern Israel on this Shabbat from terrorists who were most likely close to the Egyptian border around Sinai which Egypt has not been guarding as well as in the Mubarak period.  Of course Egypt denies it came from the Egyptian area.  It could have even come from Jordan, which Haaretz suggests, or even that Hamas terrorists managed to get very close to the Sinai area.

 50 rockets of this type made in China were found to be long distance and hit Israel on Decmeber 31, 2008, wounding 5 people. Russia also makes this type of Grad rocket as well as other countries.  The distance it can travel is at least 22 to 25  miles.  Update on 17th  is that the distance can be 50 km or 31.07 miles.   April of this year saw  3 Grads that were fired at Eilat from the same area.  For Oregonians, this is like a Grad rocket shot from Hillsboro and hitting Portland.

2001 saw rockets being shot into southern Israel from Gaza's Hamas terrorists.  Sderot, the closest city to Gaza is only 1.864 miles or 3 km away and was hit constantly.  More than 8,600 rockets have been shot into Israel from Gaza since then causing 28 deaths and several hundred wounded, not to mention the PTSD caused by the population.  By 2006 long range rockets such as this grad was reaching Ashkelon.

So far, this year of 2012 has seen 224 rockets and 28 mortars hit southern Israel from Gaza with the worst month being in March.

Resource:  http://news.yahoo.com/rocket-fired-southern-israel-nobody-hurt-army-103106310.html
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=274039
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/16/us-israel-rocket-idUSBRE85F0G220120616
http://defense-update.com/newscast/1208/analysis/311208_palestinians_use_chineese_ws2e_extendedrange_rockets.html
http://articles.janes.com/articles/Janes-Ammunition-Handbook/122-mm-BM-21-Grad-series-rockets-Russian-Federation.html
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/grad-rocket-lands-in-southern-israel-source-unknown-1.436740
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel,_2012
update: http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?ID=274126&R=R1

Israel's Protective Iron Dome or Kipat Barzel

Nadene Goldfoot

Brig. Gen. Danny Gold, head of Maf'at, decided that Israel needed a system of intercepting all the missiles.  By 2007 Israel commissioned developing the anti-missile Iron Dome.  They chose an Israeli contractor, Rafael. " The Israeli company, mPrest Systems, was put in charge of programming the core of Iron Dome's battle management system."

 They designed it to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 to 70 kilometers away.  The trajectory would be taking them to a populated area in all weather conditions.  This is Israel's defensive countermeasure to the rocket threat against Israel's civilian population on its northern and southern borders.   Within 4 years is was combat ready.  There was no system like this in the whole world.  The people involved felt like a start-up business.  This was a remarkably short period of time for a weapons system to be designed from scratch.

Funding for it came from the United States and Israel.   They have invested nearly a million into the Iron Dome, and are willing to invest more, now as long as the USA can get the development rights to the weapon system. Right now they have no right to the technology involved.

To fire at one missile, it costs $40,000.  It's expensive to use.  It was first used on 27 March 2011 near Beersheba.  By the 10 March 2011, it was successful in intercepting a Grad rocket launched from Gaza for the first time.  On 10 March, 2012, it shot down 90% of rockets launched from Gaza it fired at.  By April it had intercepted 93 rockets.  Maybe that's why we haven't heard of rockets landing near Southern Israel's towns.

Rockets which look like they're going to land in unpopulated areas are ignored.

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Dome
news@israelnationalnews.com Arutz Sheva

25 Rockets Fired in July into Southern Israel

New terrorist groups are venting their anger at Abbas and their own Hamas leadership by striking Israel on their own.  These are affiliated with al-Qaeda and other global jihad groups, but not necessarily Hamas or Islamic Jihad, according to reports.   4 rockets had been fired in June.  They're stepping up.  Since January 2011, over 340 rockets and mortars fired from Gaza hit Southern Israel.  Israel's IDF holds the Hamas terrorist group solely responsible for any firing from Gaza. 

While running to shelter, and people only have a few minutes to get there, 5 people were wounded and had to be taken to Ashkelon's Barzelai Hospital. 

The Israeli Air Force responded with a strike on 4 smuggling tunnels and one terror base in Gaza. 

http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=232491

Thanks, U.N.  As Usual: Palestinians Keep Firing Rockets Into Israel
When is the U.N. going to get brave and tell the Hamas terrorists to stop hitting Israel?  I'd like to see the Secretary General put up with it happening in his back yard.  Seeing China in action, I have a feeling I know what he'd do about it. 

Nadene Goldfoot
On Tuesday  in Israel a rocket fell into the Sderot area again.  Sderot has been the constant victim of too many rockets in Southern Israel.  No one was injured, but you can figure that it's not a  great experience to have to put up with.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak checked out the Beersheba battery of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system on Thursday.  The trial deployment had begun.  It's now ready for action.   It was developed in Israel and is operated by Israelis.  I remember that the USA had installed some system in Israel but that Israelis were barred from using it. 

Somehow a rocket from the Gaza Strip landed in fields south of Ashkelon on Thursday evening.  This is from a long distance rocket to reach that far.  Ashkelon is the city where Barzeli Hospital is which is the largest hospital in the vicinity.  It's the hospital that Arabs and Israelis have used.  Ashkelon is Portland's Sister City. 

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=214659
Lebanon rockets: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110331/wl_mideast_afp/israellebanonhezbollahconflict

Gaza's Continuing Attack On Israel-Thursday

10 rockets and mortars rained on Israel today with 2 of them being the long distance kind that can reach Tel Aviv from Gaza. They probably procured them in the lull since Operation Cast Lead.   As it was, 2 exploded north of Ashdod.  US Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates was visiting at the time, and said that no sovereign state could tolerate rockets fired at its people, and Israel certainly is not tolerating it. 

In the meantime, Obama gave his condolences to Netanyahu, and Abbas condemned it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110324/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

Gaza Fires 2 Grad Rockets Into Israel

Nadene Goldfoot

Grad rockets are the bigger kind than the usual rocket. One was fired into Netivot which is 9 miles east of Gaza and another into Ofakin which is 15 miles from Gaza. The terrorists most likely get them from Iran. There was damage but no one was hurt.

Netivot is a city in the southern part of Israel with about 26,700 people. They have 11 high schools. Sderot is to its north and Ofakin is to the south. Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzseira is buried here. This Moroccan tzaddik and kabbalist, known as Baba Sali, died in 1984. Many people come here to pay their respects and to pray at his tomb.

Ofakin is 20 kilometers or less than 20 miles west of Bersheba with a population of 24,800. It's made up mostly of North African, Indian, Russian and Ethiopian Jews. The city has 8 high schools. It has one of the 14 tennis centers in Israel with 6 courts. A soccer stadium is also in this city.

Resource: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110131/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netivot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofakim

More Rockets Fall into Israel from Gaza

Nadene Goldfoot

The picture above is of Be'er Sheva which recent rockets barely missed. The top picture is of Qassam rockets being fired from Gaza.

On Monday, Israel time, 3 Israelis were killed and 31 wounded in Ashkelon with a population of 111,700, Ashdod with a population of 211,300, Nahal Oz and Sderot and Neterot. Also hit was Ofakim and Yavne. A grad rocket with the range of 25 miles fell in Ofakim, which is in southern Israel, 20 km from Be'er Sheva. It has a population of 24,800 as of 2008. People live there from North Africa, India, Russia and Ethiopia. Yavne is in Central Israel, only 12.43 miles south of Jaffa and 9.32 miles north of Ashdod. Being Israel is very narrow, it is 4.35 miles east of the Mediterranian Sea. It has a population of over 31,800.

According to the IDF, as of October 7th there were 163 rockets including a Qassam and mortars that fell into Israel. In January there were 27 including 16 Qassams, February had 6 Qassams, March 29 including 24 Qassams, April 12 including 5 Qassams, May 14 including 11 Qassams, June 16 of which 15 were Qassams, July 16 including 9 Qassams, August 13 including 6 Qassams, September 30 including 14 Qassams making a total of 106 Qassams, 50 mortars, 7 Grads which makes the 163.

At the same time, Israeli Arabs were rioting, even in Jerusalem. This is a double whammy, attacking Israel from Gaza and within. Even so, Israel kept trucks with aid going into Gaza as a normal condition.

Jews living in Judea and Samaria have been enduring rock throwing at them while driving. Two people were badly injured from this recently.

950,000 Israelis live within range of rocket, mortar and grad attacks. The highest population is Be'er Sheva, where 531,000 civilians have 60 seconds to find shelter when the alarm rings. Israel only has 7.3 million which includes over a million Israeli Arabs. Think of Portland, Oregon being attacked with our population of 566,141 civilians. If you only had 60 seconds to run for shelter, you wouldn't stray very far from it. Try driving to a supermarket. You just hope you know where their bomb shelter is and can get to it fast if need be.

From 2001 to January 09, 8,600 rockets have been shot into Israel. Qassam rockets are crude short range rockets that reach anywhere from 2 to 3 miles. They are a steel artillery rocket. At first they only reached Sderot in southern Israel, then were able to go farther and reach Ashkelon. Ashkelon is Portland's sister city, the city containing the hospital that the whole area depends on. Katusha and grad rockets have hit Ashdod and now Be'er Sheva. The Palestinians use them to attack civilians in Israel who only have a 15 to 45 second warning, depending on what city is going to be hit.

Every apartment building has its own bomb shelter. So do all the schools. The trick is to get there fast. The biggest trick of all is to maintain a normal daily life amid such a threat, and that is something Israelis have learned to do. This shows that Israel is extremely important to them. They know they are fighting to keep their 63 year old country as it's something we've all yearned for in the past 2,000 years. They're fighting to keep the mother religion, Judaism and the country Jews are bound to; Israel.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129108

http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=196072
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101119/wl_afp/israelpalestiniansconflictgaza
http://idfspokesperson.com/2010/11/20/in-response-to-intensive-rocket-fire-iaf-targets-smuugling-tunnel-in-the-gaza-strip-20-nov-2010/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qassam_rocket

Eilat and Jordan Hit by Long-Range Rockets

This morning both Eilat and Jordan were hit by long-range rockets and mortars. Eilat, the southern-most city in Israel with a population of about 65,000 is a popular holiday resort for tourists and Israelis. It is at the northern tip of the Red Sea. It lies next to Jordan.

The attack came from the Sinai peninsular in Egypt. I've been expecting something from Lebanon, but not from there. I hope Israel was more aware than I.

Five Grad rockets hit Jordan's resort, Aqaba, injuring four Jordanians. One exploded in front of the Intercontinental Hotel. Two cars were wrecked.

In Eilat, a rocket hit a taxi outside a hotel. It burst into flames. Two rockets exploded north of the city near the border with Jordan. Two more landed in the sea in Jordan waters.

The two cities had been hit on April 22 when two Katyusha rockets from Sinai exploded in Aqaba. There were no casualties then, either. In 2005 and 2007 both Al-Qaeda and Hamas were involved in attacks in Aqaba port. Then they killed a Jordanian soldier. A suicide bomber had attacked a bakery in Eilat and killed three bystanders.

It looks to me like Jordan would benefit if these terrorists could be stopped. They're also in the line of fire.

Resource: The Israel Project: press@theisraelproject.org

Ashkelon Hit on Tuesday

Portland's sister city, Ashkelon, was hit, probably with a grad rocket today. It is only 7 miles from Gaza, that usually that is far enough away from the regular rockets fired from Gaza, which usually hit Sderot. Grads, made in Russia, can range farther. They have been getting into Gaza through the tunnels and through the Egyptian side.

Israel telephoned Gazans in Rafah and warned them of their possible air strikes. Benjamin Netanyahu, who probably will win in Israel's elections next week, visited Ashkelon and told them that they must topple the Hamas regime in order to stop the rockets.

Of course Hamas is now saying that they are innocent, though the rockets are coming from Gaza as usual. They're saying, It's not us, it's the other guys. We feel that they won the elections, they are in charge, and they are responsible for terrorist actions.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090203/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_17

Operation Cast Lead

Stopping Hamas

So far Israel's retaliation on Iran backed Hamas has killed 324 terrorists and 51 civilians who were close to the sites where rockets and missiles fire upon Israel.

Though the IDF hit so many missile sites, the terrorists managed to strike with about 150 rockets and mortars since Israel began on December 27. Ashdod, Israel was hit for the first time where a woman was killed at a bus stop by shrapnel wounds. Ashdod is home to 200,000 Israelis and Israel's largest port. It is 43 miles from Jerusalem.

40 missiles struck just today in Southern Israel. Since the "cease-fire" ended on December 19th, more than 200 missiles have hit Israel. In this year alone, over 3,000 rockets, missiles and mortars have hit southern Israel. These terrorists have also attacked the border crossings from Gaza into Israel 17 times.

Dore Gold, former ambassador to the U.N.,said, "We want to restore the quiet and the tranquility and give the residents of the south the ability to live the normal lives that every country provides its citizens." Southern Israel has not had quiet and tranquility for years. Sderot has constantly been under attack.

Though a war is actually raging on, 63 trucks full of goods went from Israel to Gaza on December 27th and 120 trucks were rolling today through the Kerem Shalom and Kami crossings. On Sunday Israel brought 160 tons of food and medicine into Gaza. The IDF coordinated with with UN, UNSCO, UNRWA, Red Cross and WHO. By Friday December 26, Israel sent more than 90 trucks full of vital goods to Gaza civilians. During the 6 month truce, Israel delivered 17,000 trucks full of goods to Gaza.

Reference: "The Israel Project" http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/c.hsJPK0PIJpH/b.672581/k.9AD8/For_freedom_security_and_peace_in_Israel_and_the_Middle_East.htm?sid=147891194&auid=4369669

The Gates to Gaza

Arabs Kill Their Own Children in Zeal to Kill Jews

Gaza terrorists know that Israel shuts the gates to the entrances of Gaza when their terrorists attack Israel with rockets and mortars, but the international community put so much pressure on Israel again that they opened the gates to allow goods in. And what happened? Immediately Southern Israel was hit with 12 rockets and mortars Friday. This time a rocket also hit a Palestinian's home right in Gaza. The terrorists let the owner of the house go to Ashkelon in Israel, where Barzalai Hospital is for treatment. Another of the rockets misfired again and killed two little Palestinians girls ages 5 and 13 and wounded a third little girl.

Resource: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081226/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_39

Ashkelon Hit Again Today

Portland's Sister City Attacked

Hamas has said today that Ashkelon, which is 15 kilometers from Gaza, will now be hit by grad rockets from Iran which have a range of 25-kilometers. They are encouraged to attack since Israel is not fighting back after the pummelting Ashkelon took yesterday with 6 Palestinian Grads and Sderot hit with 11 Qassam missles. Ashkelon's town hall opened the public bomb shelters. Ashdod, which is north of Ashkelon ordered shelters prepared.

An 82 year old woman in Sderot suffered shrapnel wounds and 22 people were in the hospital in shock. People were told to stay in shelters. they don't know what will happen on Sunday, which is a work day in Israel.

Community leaders and ministers want an effective military campaign against the terrorists before more rockets rain down on the southern part of Israel. They also agree with me in that the truce is no more. It's a farce.

Reference: Debkafile: Special Report

Ashkelon Hit Twice From Grad Rockets

In Israel on Friday, 5 grad Soviet-made rockets that are long range, hit Ashkelon twice. They have a range of 15 miles, which tells you how close Ashkelon is to the Gaza border.

Then the terrorists fired 8 Quasam rockets at Sderot, and 2 damaged a building and hit one civilian with shrapnel. Other people suffered from shock. The nearest hospital is in Ashkelon, which was also being hit.

This was the 11th day of bombarding Israel. Pundits are saying that this threatens a five-month truce. I say that after all this, the truce has been broken.

The EU is pressuring Israel to let supplies into Gaza. It is reported that they have no shortage of bread. Hamas has shut down their power plant and is rationing electricity they receive from Egypt and Israel. They need toner for their printers , tires and other items.

Israel has not allowed trucks into Gaza since November 4th when Israel had to destroy a tunnel the terrorists had dug in order to kidnap Israeli soldiers and infiltrate into Israel in order to kill. Hamas reported that 6 gunmen were killed at that time. Altogether since then 12 Hamas gunmen have been killed.

Mahmoud al-Zahar, Hamas leader, feels that Hamas can commit acts of terror but that Israel is not allowed to retaliate. Israel feels otherwise. They insist on defending their soldiers and citizens when in peril. Ehud Olmert said that Israel would not tolerate the rocket fire and this forces them to continue to apply economic pressure on Hamas with the border crossings.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081114/wl_nm/us_israel_palestinians_10/print;_ylt=AtB1Qsd2zM9FdOxERsFzya9n.3QA