Rockets fired into Israel believed not to be from Hamas

Gaza militants continued to fire rockets into southern Israel yesterday as Israel's 48-hour ultimatum, issued on Thursday, to end the attacks expired.

The rate of incoming projectiles was lower than in previous days and Israeli security officials said that smaller militant groups, not Hamas, were responsible.

After Israel bolstered its forces along the Gaza border, upping the ante, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhairi stressed that "Hamas does not seek war". Hamas relayed messages regarding a truce via Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah.

But Israeli military leaders warned Hamas rulers in Gaza, via third parties. “We will not go back to our daily routine while the rocket fire persists. We are preparing for an escalation,” a defence official said.

Hamas spokesperson in the Gaza strip, Mushir al-Masri, added to the uncertainty by describing contacts with Egyptian mediators as “not serious”, accusing the Israeli army of “continuing its acts of aggression”.

Israeli planes struck 10 targets in the Gaza early yesterday, including weapons caches, command centres, rocket launching emplacements and militant cells Israel claimed were preparing to fire rockets. Five people were injured.

The army reported that more than 150 rockets have landed in southern Israel since June 14th when the West Bank operation to find three Israeli teenagers began.

On Saturday night Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defence system intercepted a rocket fired at Beer Sheba, the largest city in southern Israel.

Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that Israel must act with composure. "The goal of all our actions is to restore peace and security to all Israeli citizens, especially residents of the south. Experience has proved that in moments like these it is best to act calmly and responsibly. We will do everything necessary to restore quiet and security to the south."

His comments followed calls by foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman and economics minister Naftali Bennett, the leader of the far-right Jewish Home party, for a major offensive against Gaza.

Mr Bennett criticised the policy of restraint. “From Syria to Wadi Ara (an Arab area in the Galilee) people are looking at the residents of Beer Sheva who are running to the bomb shelters, expecting a forceful response, and they interpret our inaction as fear to act,” he said.

“I do not accept the statement that there is no way to stop the missiles. The statement ought to be clear: zero missiles on Israeli cities. Zero tolerance of terrorism. Zero tolerance of incitement by the Palestinian Authority.”

For the moment, and as long as there are no significant Israeli casualties from the rocket fire, it seems Israel will continue to hold back, not seeking to deteriorate into an escalation that will include a large-scale clash with Hamas, and, in all likelihood, missile fire on greater Tel Aviv.