IDF BOMBS SMUGGLING TUNNELS

IDF bombs smuggling tunnels in Gaza after 2 Qassams hit Negev

By Haaretz Service and The Associated Press


Tags: Hamas, Israel news, Qassam

IAF jets bombed the Philadelphi route, an area of smuggling tunnels near Gaza's border with Egypt, for a second time on Monday in response to Qassam rocket fire that hit the Negev earlier in the day.

Israel's military said the strikes targeted tunnels used to smuggle weapons in from Egypt and was retaliation for the rocket attacks.

Palestinian rockets hit Israel Monday morning, as talks dragged on over a long-term truce that would bring quiet to Israel's south and the coastal territory.
Two rockets fired from Gaza hit southern Israel Monday, one exploding in an open area in the Sha'ar Hanegev region and the other hitting inside a kibbutz in the Sdot Negev region. No injuries were reported in either incident, but some property sustained damage.

Gaza rockets are a near-daily occurrence in southern Israel, even after the devastating three-week Israeli offensive in Gaza that was meant to bring a halt to the fire.

Israel ended its military offensive in Gaza on Jan. 18, and the territory's Islamic Hamas rulers declared a cease-fire the same day. But sporadic violence has continued as Egypt tries to mediate a long-term truce.

Despite announcements from Hamas late last week that a truce deal was imminent, no agreement has been reached. Hamas is demanding that Israel open Gaza's blockaded border crossings, but Israel says it will open the crossings only after Hamas releases Gilad Shalit, an Israeli tank crewman held by the group in Gaza since June, 2006.

Hamas wants Israel to release hundreds of prisoners in return for Shalit, including high-ranking militants and the masterminds of deadly suicide bombings.

Israel's top leadership is scheduled to meet this week to formulate a response to Hamas' demands.

Gaza man killed in accidental scrap metal recycling blast

Palestinian hospital officials said Monday that a 25-year-old Gaza man has been killed and five people have been wounded in a blast along the border with Israel.

Palestinian security officials said the explosion in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya was caused when people who were melting down scrap metal for recycling inadvertently threw an explosive device into the fire.

Residents initially reported Monday that a shell exploded.

In other news, two rockets fired from Gaza in violation of an informal truce landed in Israel. No injuries were reported.

Israel ended a three-week military offensive in Gaza on Jan. 18, and the territory's Islamic Hamas rulers declared a cease-fire the same day. But sporadic violence has continued as Egypt tries to mediate a long-term truce.

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