This morning, approximately an
hour after the official time for cease-fire agreement expired, Palestinians let
out three kasam rockets to Israel, the Jerusalem Post newspaper
reported. Rockets fell in the open area in the region of Eshkol (south of Israel), no victims and destruction reported.
On Thursday evening official representatives of HAMAS in the Gaza Strip and Beirut declared that they would not prolong the agreement. Although 11 rockets and six
mortar projectiles and the day before - 24 rockets had been launched to Israel before the statement was made.
According to the Jerusalem Post, leaders of HAMAS covered in the underground bunkers, evacuating also its establishments and security systems in the Gaza Strip due to the fear before Israel. According to the colleagues of Israeli Defence Department, they can accept only complete silence in the Gaza Strip, like it was during the ceasefire period until the November operation of Israeli army for detection and destruction of the tunnel, opened from the sector to Israel. This operation led to the sharp escalation of rocket fire.
On Thursday commander of Southern military district Major General Yoav Galant conducted safety evaluation in his staff in Be'er Sheva, after which tens armored cars were placed along the boundary with the Gaza Strip. Officers say that they were ordered to be in the state of "readiness for escalation". Sources in the defence army of Israel assert that the rocket firing was realized by a group of Islamic Jihad on by the order of HAMAS.
On Wednesday evening Israeli Air Military Forces bombed two objects, that belong "to Islamic Jihad" in order to show terrorist group that it will pay for its connection with HAMAS.
The solution not to prolong the cease-fire agreement was accepted after several conferences between HAMAS and by other Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip. Some leaders of HAMAS in Gaza insisted on what the peace accord should be prolonged so that Israel would not have the justification for large-scale military operation.
Press-secretary of HAMAS Fauzi
Barkhum accused Israel of flouting of the peace accord by murder of Palestinian
fighters on the West Bank and by failure to open check-points in the Gaza
Strip.
According to the press- secretary "of Islamic Jihad" Valid Khilz, after Dec. 19
his organization "leaves after itself the right to protect Palestinians from
the Israeli aggression".