On the morning of April 24, Israel’s 59th Independence Day, Hamas violated its own declared hudna, or “tactical cease-fire”, with massive mortar and rocket attacks at both ends of the Gaza Strip.
Some 30 mortar rounds were fired at Israel Defense Forces positions on Israel’s southern security road bordering the Strip, while eight Kassam rockets were launched from the northern Strip at towns in the Western Negev. While there were no Israeli casualties, the true gravity of the simultaneous attack soon became apparent.
During the combined mortar-rocket bombardment, a number of Hamas terrorists were spotted approaching the security fence, in an evident attempt to attack an IDF post and abduct one or more soldiers. Unlike last summer’s kidnapping of Cpl. Gilad Shalit near the same spot, this more sophisticated attempt by Hamas employed mortar and rocket fire as a diversion.
Confirmation soon came from the Web site of Izzadin Kassam, Hamas’s military wing. Spokesman Abu Ubaida stated: “We shelled Kerem Shalom, which is the outpost where we captured the Zionist soldier Gilad Shalit, to remind the Zionist enemy that we still have Gilad Shalit and that we are still prepared to abduct more soldiers.”
Given Hamas’s ideology, which denies Israel’s right to exist, the choice of Israel’s Independence Day for such an attack is not surprising.
Hamas has demonstrated time and again its tactic of exploiting so-called “cease-fires” – during which it replenished its strength after suffering losses, in order to return to terrorism later with increased deadliness. As documented by The Washington Institute, Hamas agreed to no fewer than 10 “cease-fires” between 1993-2003, and after every one returned freshly armed for more terrorism. Hundreds of Israeli citizens have paid for these hudnas with their lives.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas sought to play down the incident, saying that Hamas’s violation of the cease-fire was “an exceptional incident that will not recur.” This, of course, is an empty disavowal from someone locked in a fight for control of the Palestinian Authority with his Hamas opponent, Ismail Haniya. While Abbas’ Fatah faction has declared its willingness to accept a two-state solution to the conflict, Hamas is still committed to Israel’s destruction.
As it continues to stockpile ever-more sophisticated weapons smuggled from Egypt in preparation for renewing terrorist attacks, Hamas has apparently begun to escalate the conflict with Israel by abducting more prisoners, in order to boost its bargaining power with Israel for its demand for the release of Palestinian terrorist prisoners.
Mushir al-Masri, Hamas member in the Legislative Council, stated succinctly on the organization’s Web site on April 25 that “this hudna is practically over” and that “there is no political horizon between the Palestinians and the Zionist entity.”
On “Prisoners’ Day” (April 16) Hamas published a pamphlet with the following declaration: “We call upon all of the [Palestinian] resistance brigades…to take the initiative in their own hands, rise up together and plan the release of the prisoners through action, and first and foremost by capturing Zionist soldiers, which has shown itself to be the ideal method of releasing our prisoners from the reins of the Zionist occupation.”
While trying to abduct more Israelis, Hamas has been reorganizing and building up its armed force, increasing manpower and stepping up training. Perhaps more worrisome, the organization has increased the range of its Kassam rockets to up to 20 km, placing many more Israeli towns and cities within their range from the northern Gaza Strip. These rockets are being armed with more powerful standard military explosives, part of the bounty of armaments smuggled daily from Egypt via the Rafah crossing and the tunnels under the Philadelphi Route separating the Strip from Egypt. According to the Israel Security Agency, 31 tons of such explosives were smuggled into Gaza during 2006.
Munitions supplied to Hamas in the Gaza Strip by its Iranian patron include large quantities of shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank missiles, rockets, mortar shells, sniper rifles, radio and night-vision equipment, assault rifles, grenades, and more. The quantities and quality of such materiel have altered more than just Hamas’s striking capability – they indicate an approaching change in the strategic balance in the region.
Another alarming indication of this imminent change is Hamas’ construction of network of underground fortifications in the Strip, on the model of Hizbullah’s tunneling complex in southern Lebanon. The fact that Iran funded both enterprises as part of its sponsorship of worldwide jihad is cause for considerable concern. As in Lebanon, Iran is also providing Hamas with Iranian Revolutionary Guard instructors on tactics and manufacturing weapons.
While a new Palestinian Unity Government has been formed to mask its extremism, the terrorist Hamas organization continues in its long-term strategy to take full control over the Palestinian Authority, while at the same time, moving forward with its operations to kidnap more Israeli soldiers, and expand its artillery threat to hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians with improved range Kassam rockets.