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JERUSALEM, May 31: Israel carried out a fresh air strike and threatened more ground operations in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday in a bid to halt Palestinian rockets, as a missile narrowly missed the defence minister’s home.
The Islamic Jihad movement claimed responsibility for firing three missiles at daybreak towards the southern Israeli town of Sderot, which lies just over the border from the Gaza Strip.
Although no one was injured in the attacks, one of the makeshift Qassam rockets struck a residential building a few dozen meters from Peretz’s own home, causing extensive damage.
The army has been pounding northern Gaza with artillery and has carried out a series of air raids in recent weeks in order to put a permanent end to the firing of the notoriously inaccurate missiles.
Several missiles were fired in the latest air strike on Wednesday over a disused training base for another militant group, the Popular Resistance Committees, although there were no reports of casualties in an area to the south of Gaza City.
On Tuesday, the army confirmed for the first time since it left Gaza last September after a 38-year occupation that ground troops had been sent into the territory.
Four Palestinians, including three members of Jihad, were killed when they were ambushed by the undercover unit as they prepared to launch rockets towards the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.
Speaking on a tour of his hometown after the missile attacks, Peretz said he was determined to bring the militant groups to heel as he described how he was awakened by the sound of the town’s early warning alarm system.
“The sirens went off 10 minutes before I woke up, followed by the sound of a large explosion,” said Peretz.
“We will find the ways and means to make it impossible for these organisations to fire towards Sderot and other communities. I very much hope that the (Palestinian) population understands that these organisations are provoking a catastrophe for them.”
UN APPEAL: The United Nations called for an 80 per cent increase in emergency humanitarian aid to Palestinians on Wednesday, citing a deepening crisis that follows a freeze in Western assistance to the government.
The United Nations and aid groups said in a statement they had revised an emergency aid appeal for the year to $385 million from an original estimate of $215 million. The money would help pay for employment programmes, food aid and health care. Western countries cut off direct aid to the Palestinian Authority after the Hamas, which is sworn to destroy Israel but has largely abided by a truce for over a year, took over the government following elections in January.
The aid freeze has left the Palestinian Authority unable to pay salaries of 165,000 government workers, and has resulted in shortages of basic necessities including medical supplies.
“We have been compelled to revise our original appeal in the face of desperate need. It is particularly aimed at assisting the most vulnerable Palestinians, including children who make up half the population,” said David Shearer, head of the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, cited a 600 per cent increase in applications for short-term, U.N.-sponsored jobs in the West Bank. The programme’s Gaza waiting-list now tops 100,000 people.
Mr Shearer said the World Food Programme had also warned the international community that more Palestinians were unable to meet their daily food needs.
Western powers have called on Hamas to recognise Israel and abide by existing peace agreements if it wants contacts or aid to resume. Hamas has so far refused.—AFP/Reuters
