Reprisals

Israel has started to go after the Palestinian terrorists and the terror-masters who have been firing rockets into Israel. A helicopter fired three missiles at a Hamas controlled building, killing at least four people:

An Israeli helicopter fired at least three missiles into the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on Wednesday, killing at least four people, Palestinian officials said.

Hamas said the missiles struck one of its military buildings in the town. The Israeli army confirmed its aircraft fired on southern Gaza, but did not give details.

Palestinian officials said the strike killed at least four people and injured 14 others, including one critically. Palestinian rescue officials said several people were buried under rubble after the strike.

I hope this is the start of an extended and comprehensive offensive against Hamas and Fatah, though the fear is that Hizbullah will get back in the game along Israel's northern border just as they did last year. Just as everyone's attention is drawn towards Gaza, Hizbullah may attempt yet more rocket attacks or missions to capture Israeli soldiers to be used as pawns to wear down Israeli resolve.

Hamas once again ambushed a Fatah convoy, and the death toll in the Palestinian civil war continues to grow:

Hamas gunmen killed five of their own combatants in an ambush on a Fatah vehicle that had been carrying Hamas detainees, Fatah officials said Wednesday.

Also killed were two members of the Fatah-affiliated Preventive Security force that had been guarding the detained Hamas members, the officials said.

The exact circumstances of the incident were not immediately clear. Hamas radio reported that a Hamas man was killed in another clash.

Four days of intense Palestinian infighting in the Gaza Strip has killed 41 people.

Early Wednesday morning, Hamas gunmen executed six Fatah bodyguards as the Gaza Strip slid further into chaos.

With Hamas and Fatah killing each other and going after each others' leaders, you would think that they wouldn't have time to go after Israelis, but sadly that isn't the case.

The rockets continue falling, and there's no end in sight.

Meanwhile, an Israeli billionaire has taken it upon himself to help evacuate the Israeli city of Sderot, which has been the focus of the kassam rockets fired from Gaza by the Palestinian terrorists.

The billionaire responded to the letter by sending eight buses to the town, in order to take residents out of harm’s way to hotels in Beer Sheva and Ashdod; he also pledged to aide in the fortification of homes in the town.

Batia Katar, head of Sderot's local parent committee, told Ynet that residents continued to sign up for a space in the buses in order to be evacuated as soon as possible. Families with children are the first to be evacuated.

“Everyone says they are grateful to Gaydamak, but that the State of Israel should have done this,” Katar said, “People want to overthrow the government because of the disgrace they are experiencing.”

People should definitely be questioning the actions of the Olmert government, which has failed in its basic task of defending Israel against its enemies. Permitting rockets to rain down on Sderot on a regular basis is not only intolerable, but has been allowed to go on for far too long.

The victims from yesterday's rocket attacks have been receiving treatment at nearby hospitals, and they have been enduring a situation that no one should have to endure.

So, why did Hamas fire on Sderot yesterday? Was it to deflect criticism by other Arabs and Palestinians for going after Fatah onto Israel? That idea has merit, but I think it boils down to the unending hatred Hamas has towards Israel's very existence. They cannot engage even in the concept of taqiya - lying to further Islamic goals and wear their hatred on their sleeves.

UPDATE:
Hamas and Fatah continue fighting, and one incident involved a gunfight at the home of a Fatah official. The NYT reports:

The renewed factional violence threatens the survival of the Palestinian Authority’s two-month-old unity government, which was created under a power-sharing agreement between Hamas and Fatah.

On Tuesday, Hamas militants attacked Palestinian Authority security forces loyal to Fatah, killing nine people, according to Fatah officials. That attack was on troops of the Presidential Guard, which is loyal to the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, and appeared to be a direct challenge to his authority.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel met with King Abdullah II of Jordan in the Jordanian port of Aqaba on Tuesday. David Baker, an official in Mr. Olmert’s office, said the leaders had a “warm and productive meeting” in which they discussed promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and bolstering Mr. Abbas and other moderates.

But the continuing violence in Gaza is raising serious doubts about the viability of the joint government. The Palestinian information minister, Mustafa Barghouti, said on Tuesday, “If this government falls, it means the collapse of the Palestinian Authority and with it the end of all agreements.”

If the PA collapses that could be a good thing considering that the PA has never actually lived up to any of its obligations to make peace with Israel. They've harbored terrorists and condoned terrorist activities from within their midst. Hamas would likely emerge as the power to deal with as Fatah is on the ropes and lacks the manpower and equipment to fight in Gaza.

UPDATE:
More rockets continue to slam into Sderot as the Israeli government authorizes reprisal attacks against the terrorists launching those rockets against Israel. One Israeli woman was badly injured by the latest barrage of rocket. As for the Israeli government, Olmert says that Israel can't keep ignoring the rocket attacks. I wonder how Israel could have ever ignored them in the first place. Every rocket that landed inside Israel without a response showed that Israel was willing to accept a certain level of violence. Hamas, Fatah and the other terrorist groups knew this - and wondered just how far they could push Israel. Even now, the Israeli response is limited despite the claims that they promise harsh responses. The disconnect between the acts and deeds are again exploited by the terrorists and when the reprisals do come, Israel will be accused of using disproportionate force to defend itself by shills for the Palestinians and the media that ignores the ongoing violence perpetrated by the terrorists from Gaza.

UPDATE:
Meryl Yourish points out a few stories that aren't getting the kind of play that they should. Journalists are trapped inside a building while Hamas and Fatah are shooting it out in front and Hamas set fire to an apartment building housing a Fatah leader.

UPDATE:
There are indications that Hamas or Fatah may have gotten their hands on longer range missiles and rockets - sufficient to hit Ashkelon. The Palestinian terrorist threat now is that they'll fire on Ashkelon if Israel goes into Gaza because of the Sderot rocket attacks.

Every day that this goes on is another day that Hamas and Fatah gets to continue plotting for that very outcome, and Israel loses its tactical and strategic advantages.

The Time Blog has more on the disintegrating situation in Gaza including the dozens of journalists trapped in a building because Hamas and Fatah were busy firing rockets and guns at each other and couldn't care less about who else was around or civilian casualties. Of course, the writer couldn't help but try to blame Israel for the Palestinians problems - par for the course.

Others blogging: Jewish Current Issues and Boker Tov Boulder notes some Hamas propaganda circulating in Ramallah.