Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has expanded the Israel Defense Force's operations in the northern Gaza Strip after Hamas militants fired a rocket which hit the Israeli city of Ashkelon. The rocket landed on a school which was empty at the time of the attack. No casualties were reported.
Olmert described the attack on Ashkelon as an 'escalation without precedent.' The rocket traveled more than seven miles and represents a new level of danger to Israelis living near the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian militants have used the Gaza Strip as a launching site for more than 1,000 homemade rockets since Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza last summer. Most of the rockets have crude, have a limited range and are not very accurate. This latest hit on a major Israeli city ups the ante.
'Given the abduction and continued ballistic salvoes, including the (rocket) launched at Ashkelon, the rules of the game in dealing with the Palestinian Authority and Hamas must be changed,' a statement from Olmert's office said.
Leaders of the militant group Hamas will be targeted as a result of the latest rocket attack. Hamas has also been involved in the abduction or Corporal Gilad Shalit. Shalit, 19, has been held hostage since June 25. Israeli forces continue to search for Shalit. Thus far, Hamas militants are demanding the release of more than 150,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli jails on terrorism charges in exchange for Shalit's release. Secret negotiations for Shalit's release have not made substantial progress according to published reports.
The Israeli government insists it has no desire to permanently regain control over the Gaza Strip. 'We will not re-occupy Gaza, but we will strike everyone linked to terror using all means at our disposal,' Justice Minister Haim Ramon said on Israel Radio Wednesday.
The IDF has targeted Hamas leaders and offices in its attempts to find Shalit. The Interior Ministry has been hit by Israeli rockets for the second time since Shalit was kidnapped while Hamas leaders previously wanted for terrorist activities have been arrested.
Shalit is reportedly being held in an underground bunker somewhere in Gaza. Seven armed guerillas are said to be guarding the Israeli hostage. The crisis in Gaza continues.
