Gaza rocket lands in Sderot, Israeli army retaliates
A rocket fired from Gaza exploded on a residential street in the southern Israeli city of Sderot.
No injuries were reported in the Oct. 5 attack, though two residents, ages 15 and 60, were treated for shock at a nearby hospital. The road was damaged, as were cars parked nearby and houses near the landing site.
The Code Red rocket warning system was triggered in Sderot and three neighboring communities.
About an hour later, Israel Defense Forces tanks reportedly shelled Hamas targets in northern Gaza. Later that day, Israel Air Force jets also hit a number of Hamas posts in northern and southern Gaza, according to the IDF.
No group has claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. Israel holds Hamas responsible for all attacks emanating from Gaza.
In mid-September, Israel’s Air Force struck three Hamas targets in northern Gaza in response to a mortar shell fired from Gaza into Israeli territory. In August, the IDF carried out dozens of air and artillery strikes on Gaza after a rocket fired from the coastal strip struck a residential area in Sderot. — jta
Abbas berated by Hamas for going to Peres funeral
Hamas slammed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for attending the funeral of Shimon Peres, calling him “a Jew” and said he should “join Peres in hell.”
“This man who claims to represent Palestinian public opinion is by religious standards a Jew. For the millionth time: He doesn’t represent us, he is a creation of Israel and I hope he joins Peres in hell,” Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior leader in the Gaza Strip, told Iranian TV on Oct. 1, the Times of Israel reported.
Abbas attended the Sept. 30 funeral accompanied by a delegation of three Palestinian Authority officials, including chief peace negotiator and PLO Executive Committee Secretary General Saeb Erekat.
A senior PA official said that Abbas did not regret attending the funeral, which was attended by at least 80 world leaders, and said he attended due to his high regard for Peres.
Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shook hands and spoke briefly at the funeral, their first public encounter since 2010.
Also on Oct. 1, Abbas said in a speech in the West Bank city of Bethlehem that the Palestinians will “defeat the occupation.” The speech appeared to be a way to deflect criticism of his attendance at the funeral.
The Joint Arab List, the fourth largest political party in the Knesset, did not send a delegation to the funeral. — jta
Families of 2010 flotilla victims get payout from Israel
Israel has paid $20 million in compensation to the families of the Mavi Marmara victims. The money was transferred into the Justice Ministry of Turkey’s account on Sept. 30, the Daily Sabah, a Turkish news service, reported.
The compensation was part of the reconciliation agreement signed over the summer between Israel and Turkey restoring diplomatic ties after a six-year freeze.
Relations between Israel and Turkey broke down in the aftermath of the Mavi Marmara incident in May 2010, when Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish citizens in clashes on a boat that was part of a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Under the agreement, Turkey dropped legal claims against the Israeli military and individual officers and soldiers who were part of the Mavi Marmara raid.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously apologized for the deaths, which had been another Turkish condition for the resumption of diplomatic ties.
The countries will decide in the next 10 days who will serve as ambassadors, an unidentified high-ranking Turkish official told Reuters. — jta