List of Qassam rocket attacks, 2008

The following is a list of notable and/or newsworthy Qassam rocket and mortar attacks in 2008.

;January 3, 2008:After Palestinian militants fired a long-range Grad Iranian-supplied Katyusha rocket at northern Ashkelon, the longest reach of a Palestinian rocket (16.5-to-20 km). This rocket landed further north than any rocket since the rocket fire began seven years ago - 16.5 kilometers (10 miles). No one was hurt in the attack, though the missile landed only some 50 meters (55 yards) from a residential neighborhood. The Katyusha rocket fired at Ashkelon, a Grad model 122 millimeters (nearly 5 inches) in diameter, was the fifth such rocket fired towards Ashkelon. The use of the Katyusha rocket could bring 1/4 million Israelis within rocket range (International Herald Tribune). Israel sent aircraft and tanks to hit buildings used by rocket launchers, killing twelve Palestinians including two to four civilians.:Palestinians responded to Israel's strikes with a barrage of 7 Quassam rockets, one of which hit the yard of a house in the town of Sderot.cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/941556.html|title=Katyusha lands in northern Ashkelon; nine Palestinians killed in IDF response|publisher=Haaretz|date=January 6, 2008] 25 other rockets were also fired by Palestinians at Israeli towns and forces in the Western Negev.Fact|date=May 2008; January 4, 2008:Eight mortar shells were fired by Palestinians at southern Israel.:Palestinians operating from Gaza launched six Quassam rockets at the western Negev on Friday, one of which struck the yard of a home in the town of Sderot, causing damage. 1 boy was lightly injured and evacuated to a hospital. Several residents suffered from shock.:Meanwhile, a Quassam rockets hit a western Negev open field Friday morning. No damage or injuries were reported. [cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/941730.html |title=Palestinians fire barrage of rockets, shells at western Negev |publisher=Ynet|date= January 6, 2008] [cite news|url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7197550,00.html | title= Unknown |publisher= The Guardian|date= January 4, 2008] ; January 9, 2008:At least ten Quassam rockets and twelve mortar shells were fired into Israel. Two of the twelve Quassam rockets "directly struck houses" in Sderot. This attack, coincided with the arrival of US President George W. Bush for a three-day visit. One of the missiles slammed into a house, landing in a young child's bedroom. The three-week-old baby had been taken by his mother to the shelter as soon as the Red Color alert siren sounded.cite news| title=Israel to increase industrial-use diesel supply to Gaza Strip.| url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/943678.html | publisher=Haaretz| date=January 10, 2008] :The Israel Air Force targeted an Islamic Jihad terrorist cell that was firing mortar bombs from Beit Lahiyeh in northern Gaza, killing two terrorists and wounding six others, according to both Israeli and PA sources. [cite web| url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Behind+the+Headlines/Escalation+of+Terror+in+Gaza+16-Jan-2008.htm| title=Behind the Headlines: Escalation of Terror in Gaza| publisher= Israel Mininstry of Foreign Affairs |date=January 16, 2008] ; January 10, 2008:At least one Quassam rockets was fired into Israel hitting the Kibbutz Yad Mordechai in the western Negev about "100 meters from the cafeteria.";January 13, 2008:Eight mortar bombs were fired at Israel, including one that exploded in Netiv HaAsarah, just north of Gaza, causing damage to a building.; January 15, 2008-January 18, 2008:Twenty-eight rockets hit the western Negev on January 15. One scored a direct hit on a home, wounding five people, including Lior Ben-Shimol, age 5, from Sderot, and a 19-year-old boy who was lightly injured from shrapnel. On January 15, terror emanating from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip sharply escalated. The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that than 100 rockets and mortars were fired from Gaza on the Israeli cities of Sderot and Ashkelon on January 15. More than 120 Quassam rockets and 65 mortars were fired towards the Western Negev, in a 72-hour period. The attacks injured more than eight Israelis, and two of the rockets struck near a kindergarten, which was full of children at the time of the attack. [cite news| url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3495781,00.html| title=Barak orders lockdown of Gaza, Hamas vows revenge| publisher= YNet | date=January 18, 2008] [cite news| title=25 Qassams fired at Israel after deadly IDF raid.| url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/944957.html | publisher=Haaretz| date=January 16, 2008] .; January 18, 2008-January 28, 2008:There were 30 identified rocket hits from January 18 to January 28 (Hamas claimed responsibility for most) and 83 mortar shell hits.;January 23, 2008:The Breach of the Gaza-Egypt border occurs.;February 5, 2008:An 8-year-old boy and his older brother were seriously wounded Saturday when a rocket from Gaza slammed into the Israeli border town of Sderot. Their mother and a third brother were brought to the hospital suffering shock:Israeli aircraft had earlier in the day struck twice in Gaza in an effort to thwart the launchings, the army said. One militant was seriously injured, medics said.:Seventeen Palestinians, all militants except for one, were killed this week in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip. [ [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jD4YSkDPlclqd9dHvg2f0Ij18zEgD8UN0D0O0] dead link|date=June 2008] ;February 25, 2008:Palestinian militants fire five Qassam rockets at Israeli towns. One of which fell near a school in Sderot, 10 year old Yossi Chymov, was critically injured in the attack. [cite news| url= http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3510979,00.html] | title= TBD | publisher= YNet | date=February 25, 2008] ; February 27, 2008:About 50 Quassam rockets were fired towards the Negev, one of which struck a parking lot near Sapir Academic College, killing 47-year-old student Ron Yahye [cite news|title=Student killed in Negev college as Qassam barrage intensifies|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/958928.html|publisher=Haaretz|date=February 28, 2008] . Hamas, the Popular Resistance Committees and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad carried this rocket barrage. In addition, they fired for the first time six Iranian built Grad missiles (also known as Katyushas, which actually refers to the original launcher) at the industrial city of Ashkelon. While only a few people were lightly injured, this longer distance attack on a larger Israeli city had a major psychological effect. The Israeli Prime Minister and several other minister vowed a tough response. [ [http://www.thewashingtoninstitute.org/templateC07.php?CID=391 The Gaza Challenge: Hamas, Rockets, and the Use of Terror as a Weapon] by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy] The IAF retaliated with more airstrikes in Jabalia camp and the northern part of Gaza Strip. About seven killed in the attacks, most of whom were militants, however a six month-old baby was also killed after a missile struck a house in the camp. [ [http://finance.walla.co.il/?w=/2/1241293 War in South: Daily update - 27.02.2008] walla.co.il . 2008-02-27.] ;February 29, 2008:Operation Hot Winter was an Israel Defense Forces military campaign in the Gaza Strip, launched on February 29, 2008 and ending March 1, 2008 in response to Quassam and Katyusha rockets fired from the Strip by Hamas. At least 112 Palestinians and three Israelis were killed, and more than 150 Palestinians and seven Israelis were injured.Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7274929.stm|publisher=BBC|title=Israeli Gaza operation 'not over' |date=2008-03-03|accessdate=2008-03-03] .: A 13-month-old Gaza girl was killed Friday by flying shrapnel in spiraling Israeli-Palestinian violence. She was killed when a Quassam missile launched from Gaza at Israel fell short and landed near her home. [cite news | title = 13-month-old baby killed in spiraling Israeli-Palestinian violence |url = http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/29/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Palestinians.php | publisher = International Herald Tribune | date = February 29, 2008 ] ; March 1, 2008:About 50 rockets were fired in a span of 12 hours. [cite news|title=5 hurt in Ashkelon as close to 50 rockets hit southern Israel|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/959172.html|publisher=Haaretz|date=March 2, 2008] .; March 13, 2008:Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, visited Ashkelon and, told people to "grit their teeth" and face the likelihood that – despite what appears to be a cooling off in the war between the Israeli military and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza – Ashkelon would suffer more attacks. An hour after he left, a Quassam rockets was shot at Ashkelon from Gaza. The rocket, the first in two days, landed in an open area in southern Ashkelon. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a secular left-wing group, claimed responsibility for it, Reuters reported. [cite news|title=Israelis bolster new front line with Gaza|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/csmonitor/web/guest/search?sort=date%3AD%3AS%3Ad1&output=xml_no_dtd&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&client=default_frontend&proxystylesheet=monitor_style&site=csmonitor&q=Qassam&x=6&y=1 | publisher=Christian Science Monitor|date=March 13,2008] .; March 19, 2008:Two rockets were fired at the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3521650,00.html|title=Qassam rocket lands in western Negev kibbutz.|publisher= YNet |date=March 22, 2008] ; March 20, 2008:A rocket landed within "the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council limits." This happened to coincide with the Jewish holiday of Purim.; April 17, 2008:"Haaretz" reported, "17 rockets were fired at the western Negev" near Ashkelon.cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/976381.html|title=Qassam hits power lines in Sderot causing blackout.|publisher=Haaretz|date=April 18, 2008] ; April 18, 2008:"Haaretz" reported, "Sixteen Qassam rockets were fired at Israel." One rocket hit power lines and another hit "a residential block" in Sderot.;April 21, 2008:Palestinian forces operating out of the Gaza Strip on Monday fired at least nine rockets and mortar shells at communities in southern Israel, wounding a four-year-old Israeli boy (light injuries from a piece of shrapnel) and damaging a number of homes.cite news |title = Palestinian rocket wounds Israeli child; aid continues to flow into Gaza|url=http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=15782|publisher = Israel Today|date=April 22, 2008] ;April 22, 2008:One missile fired from northern Gaza hit the southern industrial zone of the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon.; April 29, 2008:More than 15 Qassam rockets and 20 mortar shells were fired on Israel throughout the day, with two of the Qassam rockets and eight of the mortar shells landing within and around western Negev towns. [cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3537592,00.html|title=Qassams, mortars rain on western Negev.|publisher= YNet |date=May 2, 2008] ;April 30, 2008:At least two rockets fired by Gaza-based Palestinian forces slammed into the southern Israel town of Sderot while local residents were attending a Holocaust memorial ceremony on Wednesday evening..cite news |title = Gaza rockets fall during Holocaust memorial ceremony |url=http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=15857 |publisher = Israel Today|date=May 1, 2008] ;May 1, 2008:Terrorists from Gaza fired at least 10 rockets at Sderot and neighboring communities. One rocket landed next to an Israeli high school, sending a number of students into severe shock.cite news |title = Gaza rockets fall during Holocaust memorial ceremony |url=http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=15857 |publisher = Israel Today|date=May 1, 2008] ;May 6, 2008:An Israeli air strike aimed at armed militants in the Gaza Strip killed one Palestinian gunman and wounded three others on Tuesday, hospital officials and the Israeli army said. The strike on the group near the town of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip was aimed at a mortar launching squad close to the border fence with Israel, Gaza medics said. [cite news |title = Unknown link appears to be dead |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/06/AR2008050600187.html|publisher = Washington Post|date=May 7, 2008] ;May 9, 2007:On Friday a 48-year-old Jimmy Kdoshim was killed by a mortar shell while working in his garden in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. After the mortar attack, two Israeli air strikes killed five Hamas security men in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical officials and Hamas said. Palestinian militants from the Islamist group Hamas, who regularly fire rockets and mortars into Israel from Gaza, claimed responsibility for the attack on the Kfar Aza collective farm in southern Israel. [cite news | title = Five Gaza militants and Israeli killed in violence | url = http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09181625.htm |publisher = Reuters | date=May 9, 2008 ] :IDF data indicate the increased use of mortars over the past year was a calculated move on the part of Hamas. "This (increased firing of mortars) is an attempt by terror organizations to continue with their terror-related activity without drawing an Israeli response", he said. Some of the advanced 120-millimeter mortars fired at Israel are equipped with a rocket propelled engines that significantly increases their range to 6-10 kilometers. The Iron Dome (rocket interception) system is expected to provide a solution to these mortars, but it's still in development", according to the official. [cite news | title = Security source: Terrorists firing mortars to avoid retaliation |publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3542077,00.html | date = May 12, 2008 ] ;May 10, 2008:Two rockets land in Ashkelon; one near a school at 7 am, shortly before the children would arrive cite news |title =Rocket lands near school in Ashkelon |publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3542108,00.html | date = May 12, 2008 ] ;May 11,2008:On Sunday afternoon, the Islamic Jihad's military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades fired two Qassam rockets at the western Negev. One of the rockets landed at the parking lot of Sapir College, causing a woman to suffer shock and damaging some vehicles. The other rocket landed in Sderot near a bus carrying schoolchildren. Three children suffered shock and were treated by Magen David Adom paramedics. The bus' windows were shattered and a fire broke out nearby.;May 12, 2008:Shuli Katz, a 70-year-old resident of Kibbutz Gvaram was killed early Monday evening from a Palestinian Qassam rocket which crashed into the backyard of a residential home in Yesha – a small community belonging to the Eshkol Regional Council. A 50-year old man was treated for shock. The [Al-Quds Brigades] , the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack. [cite news |title = Woman killed by Qassam in southern Israel |publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3542439,00.html | date = May 13, 2008 ] ;May 13, 2008:The Israeli Air Force attacked a Qassam launching cell near the Gaza town of Khan Younis on Tuesday. According to Palestinian sources in the Strip, a member of Hamas' armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, was killed and five more gunmen were injured in the strike.:Five more Qassam rockets are fired at Israel. [cite news |title = IDF attacks Qassam launching cell in Gaza; Hamas gunman killed |publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3542743,00.html | date = May 13, 2008 ] ;May 14, 2008: A Katyusha rocket (also referred to as a Grad) was fired into the Israeli city of Ashkelon, it struck a clinic in he third floor of the Huzot shopping mall. This attack resulted in three people seriously injured (one was an eight year old girl), two moderately injured and eleven people suffered minor wounds. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command said its fighters launched the rocket. [cite news | title = Gaza rocket hits Ashkelon mall; several people hurt; |publisher = Haaretz | url = http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/983435.html | date = May 14, 2008 ] ;May 15, 2008:Israeli military strikes in Gaza killed two Palestinian civilians and three militants, the Associated Press reported, quoting Palestinian medical officials. :Hours after President Bush's arrival for a state visit a rocket launched by Gaza militants landed on a shopping mall in Ashkelon, Israel's southernmost city on the Mediterranean coast, injuring more than 30 people and highlighting the challenge facing Mr. Bush as he tries to push forward negotiations on a two-state solution. [cite news |title = Violence flares as Bush marks Israel's anniversary; several people hurt |publisher = Christian Science Monitor | url = http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0515/p25s15-wome.html | date = May 15, 2008 ] ;May 18, 2008:Some 15 rockets hit the Sderot area on Sunday.cite news | title = Woman killed, two wounded in Qassam rocket strike on Sderot |publisher = Haaretz | url = http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/861946.html
date = May 22, 2008 ] ;May 19, 2008:A 35-year-old woman was killed and two others wounded Monday evening when a Qassam rocket struck a car in the western Negev town of Sderot. The woman, Shir-El Friedman, was standing next to the car at the time of the strike and was taken to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. Hospital spokeswoman Lea Malul said she died on the way to the hospital.:According to the IDF, a total of 15 rockets were fired at the area on Monday. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility.;May 24, 2008:Four rockets fired towards western Negev on Saturday, two of them confirmed as longer-range Grads. Residents awaken to first barrage at 6:40 am as the Red Color alter sirens blared. The first two rockets landed in the Nahal Oz region. The two remaining rockets were longer-range Grads. One landed in Netivot and other near Ma'agalim. No injuries or damage reported. Throughout the day barrages of mortar shells were fired from Gaza, most towards IDF forces operating along the border fence. [cite news | title = Grad rockets land near Netivot |publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3547114,00.html | date = May 24, 2008 ] ;May 31, 2008:Palestinian militants fired five Qassam rockets from the Gaza Strip. No casualties or damage were reported. A sixth Qassam wounded two migrant workers from Thailand, one moderately and the other lightly, on Saturday morning when a Qassam rocket hit the western Negev greenhouse in which they working. [cite news |title = Two migrant workers wounded in Qassam strike on Negev |publisher = Haaretz | url = http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/988735.html | date = May 31, 2008 ] ;June 2, 2008:Seven Qassam rockets and four mortars hit the western Negev desert. Five people were hurt, including two Bedouin farmhands, a farmer and two Thai migrant workers.; June 5, 2008:Hamas fired three mortar shells from Gaza which landed in the Nirlat factory in Kibutz Nir Oz killing Amnon Ronsenberg, a 52-year-old father of three on Thursday. Five additional Israelis were injured. Two hours later the Israelis hit a Hamas militant with a missile. However, Palestinian medical workers said that the missile had hit a nearby house, killing a four-year old child and wounding her mother. The Israelis said they could not confirm that but were checking. Hamas' Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades have claimed responsibility for the firing of the mortar. [cite news |title = Israeli Man and Gaza Child Die in Strikes |publisher = New York Times | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/world/middleeast/06mideast.html | date = June 5, 2008 ] [cite news |title = Father of 3 killed in mortar attack, IAF strike kills girl in Gaza |publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3552287,00.html | date = June 5, 2008 ] ;June 8, 2008:The Al-Quds Brigades fires four rockets toward southern Israel, lightly injuring a Thai foreign worker. [cite news |title = Man lightly wounded by Qassam rocket |publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3553160,00.html | date = June 8, 2008 ] ;June 10, 2008:Hamas fires 18 mortar shells toward Israel, and shortly after the attacks Palestinian sources reported that three Hamas operatives were killed and a number of others were wounded in an Israel Air Force strike in the Gaza City neighborhood of Sajaiya. The sources reported the men were part of a special unit of Hamas' military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The mortars, which were fired in two separate salvos, landed in open areas near Nahal Oz. Another four mortar shells and four Qassam rockets were fired later the same day. [cite news |title = 18 mortars hit Negev; 3 Hamas men killed in IAF strike |publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3553711,00.html | date = June 10, 2008 ] ;June 11, 2008:Factory workers were evacuated from the area after a fire erupted as a result of two mortars from Gaza landing. One (1) man is lightly wounded from shrapnel. [cite news |title = Man lightly injured in mortar attack on Negev kibbutz |publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3554195,00.html | date = June 11, 2008 ] :An Israeli military spokesman said a ground force had attacked Palestinian militants in the central Gaza Strip who had been attempting to fire rockets into Israel from a built-up area. Palestinian workers say a girl inside a house in Khan Younis was killed by tank fire. The Israeli spokesman said he was unaware of any civilian casualties [cite news |title = Israeli tank fire kills girl in Gaza, Palestinians say |publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3554068,00.html | date = June 11, 2008 ] :Altogether, four Palestinians were killed on Wednesday by IDF troops, two of them identified as Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives and two were reported as being civilians. [cite news |title = IDF troops clash with gunmen in Gaza, three Palestinians killed |publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3554684,00.html | date = June 12, 2008 ] ;June 12, 2008:As Israel's Gaza-vicinity communities were hit with dozens of mortars and rockets, apparently as cover to infiltrate the country with an explosives-laden bulldozer. The attempt was stopped. [cite news |title = Suspicion: Palestinians tried to infiltrate Israel with booby-trapped vehicle |publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3554925,00.html | date = June 12, 2008 ] :Seven Palestinians are killed and 40 more wounded in a large explosion in northern Gaza on Thursday afternoon. Palestinian witnesses and Hamas sources and initially blamed the blast on an Israeli airstrike and Hamas then unleashed rockets and mortar shells at southern Israel. However, the IDF made clear no forces had launched an attack in the area. Military officials said the army was looking into whether the explosion may have been the result of ammunition detonation, but estimated it most likely appeared to be a Palestinian 'work accident. Hamas later said the blast was accidental. Hamas said two of the seven people killed were senior operatives from the organization: Hassan Abu-Shakfa, one of the organization's commanders in northern Gaza, and Ashraf Mushtaha, another of Hamas' senior operatives. The incident occurred in the home of Ahmed Hamouda, who is a member of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. :Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinian militants in a clash in northern Gaza, and one more in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza on a rocket squad.cite news | title = Israeli envoy returns without Gaza truce deal | publisher = Examiner.com Washington DC | url = http://www.examiner.com/a-1438829~Israeli_envoy_returns_without_Gaza_truce_deal.html?cid=rss-World| date = June 12, 2008 ] :A 59-year-old Israeli woman was lightly-to-moderately wounded in the Yad Mordechai area on Thursday afternoon as Palestinian terror groups launched a barrage of mortar shells and Qassam rockets against Israeli communities near the Gaza border. At least 40 mortars and 25 Qassams landed in Israel, primarily in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, a number of fires have broken out as a result. A member of Kibbutz Nahal Oz told Ynet that residents have currently been instructed to remain in bomb shelters and fortified rooms. One of the mortars landed in Palestinian territory near the Erez crossing, lightly injuring a Palestinan. Magen David Adom paramedics asked to treat the wounded man but were denied access. In addition, a missile, apparently of a type "Grad" landed near Ashkelon. No injuries were reported but a number of people suffered from shock. [cite news | title = Mortar shells, Qassam rockets rain on Israel's south | publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3554849,00.html | date = June 12, 2008 ] :Israel carried out an airstrike aimed at a Gaza rocket squad, killing a Palestinian militant. Two other Israeli military operations in Gaza killed five more militants.;June 16, 2008:A Grad-type rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck an Ashkelon cemetery leaving one person lightly to moderately wounded. Another rocket exploded inside the city. The victim suffered shrapnel wounds to his neck. Several other people suffered from shock and were treated by emergency medical staff at the scene. Gaza's Hamas rulers took responsibility for the strike. [cite news |title = Israeli hurt as Grad-type rockets hit Ashkelon |publisher = Haaretz | url = http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/993227.html | date = May 16, 2008 ] ;June 17, 2008:Israel carried out three airstrikes in Gaza against what the military described as "terrorist operatives." Six Palestinian militants were killed, according to medical officials in Gaza. On Tuesday night, militants launched up to 10 rockets at Israel. Several fell in open areas around the Israeli border town of Sderot, a military spokeswoman said.cite news |title = Israel Agrees to Truce with Hamas on Gaza |publisher = New York Times | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/world/middleeast/18mideast.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss | date = June 18, 2008 ] ;June 18, 2008:More than 40 rockets and mortar shells were launched from Gaza in a violent finale towards Sderot. Several hit the town, causing some damage cite news |title = Gaza Cease-Fire Takes Hold | publisher = New York Times | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/20/world/middleeast/20mideast.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
date = June 19, 2008 ] ;June 19, 2008:Through Egyptian mediation Israel and Hamas agreed to a six-month cease-fire starting June 19. Defense Minister Ehud Barak of Israel said on Tuesday that it was "difficult to determine how long" an agreement would last. This calm is fragile and is liable to be short-lived," Ehud Olmert, the prime minister of Israel, proclaimed on Wednesday night. "Hamas and the other terrorist organizations have not changed and have not become patrons of peace. These are contemptible and bloodthirsty terrorists." On Thursday morning, Hamas announced that any Israeli infraction would meet with an immediate response.; June 23, 2008:A single mortar shell was also fired from Gaza late Monday night and landed on the Israeli side of the border fence.; June 24, 2008:Three Qassam rockets fired from Gaza on Tuesday struck the Israeli border town of Sderot and its environs, causing no serious injuries but constituting the first serious breach of a five-day-old truce between Israel and Hamas. [cite news |title = Rockets hit Israel, breaking Hamas truce | publisher = : Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack and said it had been a response to an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Nablus at dawn on Tuesday, in which a senior Islamic Jihad operative Tareq Abu Ghali, 24 and another Palestinian university student Iyad Khanfar, 21 were killed. An Israeli Army spokesman said that Abu Ghali had been involved in terrorism and that he was "killed in an exchange of fire." The man killed with him was armed, the spokesman said.:The rocket attack occurred hours after Olmert met President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheik to discuss the next steps in the tenuous Egyptian-mediated truce and the renewal of efforts to resolve the case of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli corporal held by Hamas in Gaza since June 25, 2006. :Israeli Defense Ministry decided that Israel would keep the Gaza border crossings closed Thursday, except for special humanitarian cases, in response to Tuesday's Qassam rocket attacks [cite news |title = Rockets hit Israel, breaking Hamas truce |publisher = International Herald Tribune | url = http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/25/africa/25mideast.php | date = June 24, 2008 ] ;June 26, 2008:A rocket hit an open area of the industrial zone outside Sderot. There were no reports of injuries or damage, according to army sources. The Fatah-affiliated Aksa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. In a text message sent to reporters, it said "the truce must include the West Bank and all sorts of aggression must stop." :On Thursday morning, Hamas accused Israel of violating the terms of the Gaza cease-fire a day after Israeli Defense Ministry decided that Israel would keep the Gaza border crossings closed Thursday, except for special humanitarian cases, in response to Tuesday's Qassam rocket attacks - "If the crossings remain closed, the truce will collapse", Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Thursday morning. [cite news | title = Israeli FM calls for immediate military response to Qassam attacks | publisher = China View | url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/27/content_8446361.htm | date = June 27, 2008 ] ;June 27, 2008:Early on Friday, two mortar shells were fired at Israel from the northern Gaza Strip. One landed near Kibbutz Kfar Aza in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, and the second one hit an open area. There were no reports of injuries or damage in the latest violation of the fragile ceasefire.:Following yesterday's rocket attack by Aksa Martyrs Brigade a spokesman for the Hamas government, Taher al-Nunu, called Fatah's actions "unpatriotic". He said Hamas was considering the possibility of taking action against those perpetrating the attacks against Israel.:Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called Friday on Palestinian factions to adhere to the Gaza Strip lull agreement with Israel. "The factions and the people accepted the lull in order to secure two interests – an end to aggression and the lifting of the siege. Therefore, we hope that everyone honors this national agreement", he said following Friday prayers. [cite news | title = Haniyeh: All Palestinian factions should honor truce |publisher = Ynet | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3561133,00.html | date = June 28, 2008 ] ;June 28, 2008:Israel blocks all shipments into Gaza except fuel, in response to the rocket and mortar attacks.cite news |title = Hizbollah Does What It Pleases |publisher = Strategy Page | url = http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/israel/articles/20080702.aspx | date = July 2, 2008 ] ;June 30, 2008:Israel agreed to trade a Lebanese terrorist, jailed (since 1979) for murdering several civilians (including a child), in return for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers kidnapped in 2006 (and setting off the war with Hizbollah.) Until recently, it was believed the two soldiers were alive. This sets a precedent since the Israeli's almost never release prisoners who have killed Israeli citizens. Hamas will most likely demand the release of Hamas and Palestinian prisoners with "blood on their hands.";July 2, 2008:There were no rocket or mortar attacks so Israel reopens the four Gaza crossings on Wednesday July 2. Since a truce began June 19, Israel has closed the passages a total of six days in retaliation for rocket attacks. [cite news | title = Israel reopens crossings into Gaza | publisher = Jerusalem Post | url = http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1214726183298 | date = July 2, 2008 ] ;July 7, 2008:A mortar shell is fired at Israel from Gaza on Monday.cite news | title = Israel reopens crossings into Gaza |publisher = Associated Press | url = http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jD4YSkDPlclqd9dHvg2f0Ij18zEgD91PNRP80
date = July 8, 2008 ] ;July 8, 2008:After two mortar attacks from Gaza at the Sufa crossing, one fell just inside Gaza and the other at the crossing. Israel closed all the crossing. After an Egyptian request they reopened the crossings. Hours after the crossings opened at noon, militants fired another shell into Israel, causing no casualties or damage, the Israeli military said. Israel kept the crossings open. No Palestinian group immediately claimed responsibility. :In all, 15 rockets and mortars have been fired from Gaza since since the truce took effect on June 19. Israel has responded automatically by snapping shut the crossings, which have been closed about half of the time. So far the truce has not eased conditions in Gaza because of the frequent closures.;July 10, 2008:Two qassam rockets were fired at Israel, but caused no damage, after an unarmed Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades infiltrator was killed at the Kissufim crossing. An Israeli Army spokesman said they fired wiring shots and when the man did not stop they killed him. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades vowed revenge.:In the West Bank city of Nablus, Israeli troops continued for a fourth straight day a crackdown on institutions it links to the militant Hamas movement. On Wednesday July 10 they shot dead a Hamas member near the West Bank city of Jenin. [cite news | title = Gaza militants fire two rockets |publisher = BBC | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7500322.stm | date = July 10, 2008 ] ;September 14, 2008:Islamic Jihad's military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility Sunday for a Qassam rocket attack on Sderot.:In response to the attack, Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered all Israel-Gaza border crossings closed. The Qassam exploded in a field in the southern town and sparked a brushfire, a fresh violation of an Israel-Hamas truce in the Gaza Strip. [cite news | title = Jihad claims responsibility for Qassam attack on Sderot |publisher = Haaretz | url = http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1020946.html | date = September 14, 2008 ]

ee also

*List of Qassam rocket attacks

References