Jerusalem – The Latest Clashes Between Israel And Hamas May Have Started Because Of A Mistake

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    Sderot residents view the site where a mortar shell from Gaza hit the southern Israeli city near the border, Aug. 9, 2018. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)Jerusalem -Israel and Hamas may be headed toward yet another war in Gaza. By accident.

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    The last two days have seen clashes ratchet up between the two sides, who have fought three wars in the past decade. The last Gaza war, in 2014, was particularly devastating: Some 2,100 Palestinians and 70 Israelis died in the fighting.

    Another replay may be about to start. Since Wednesday, Hamas has launched about 200 rockets at Israel. Israel has bombed 150 targets in Gaza. Three Palestinians have been killed, according to Hamas, including a pregnant mother and her toddler. Israel reports 11 wounded on its side.

    The fighting escalated Thursday night as a missile struck the Israeli city of Beersheba, which is farther away from Gaza. Israel responded by destroying a building in Gaza City that Israel calls a Hamas headquarters and Hamas says is a cultural center.

    And it all started from what might have been a mistake.

    Before Wednesday, Israel and Hamas were in indirect talks to establish a long-term truce on the border. The truce would see Hamas attacks against Israel end in exchange for Israel easing the blockade and allowing more goods in and out of Gaza. Two Israelis and the bodies of two dead soldiers held by Hamas would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.

    But on Tuesday morning, Israeli troops on the Gaza border detected Hamas fire in their direction. They responded in kind, killing two Hamas military officials. Hamas responded with rockets, and here we are.

    Except the Hamas gunfire apparently was not meant for Israeli soldiers. It was, according to Hamas, part of a naval commando exercise in the presence of senior Hamas officials in Gaza.

    So it’s possible that this is all the outcome of a misunderstanding. Yet even as they remain in indirect talks to end the fighting, both sides are speaking in bellicose terms. Israel’s Security Cabinet, which manages issues of war and peace, directed the army to “continue taking strong action against the terrorist elements.” According to Haaretz, a Hamas spokesman said, “The brutal Israeli attack and the targeting of civilians will not be tolerated quietly, and the occupation will pay the price.”

    How is it possible to go from indirect peace talks to the verge of a war in a matter of days? Such is the tinderbox of Israel-Hamas relations — or lack thereof. The sides don’t talk, as a policy, which increases the chances that a misunderstanding can snowball into war. There’s no hotline that we know of where Benjamin Netanyahu and Ismail Haniyeh can smooth things over.

    Not that things were smooth to begin with. The conflict between Israel and Hamas is less peacetime interrupted by a series of wars, but more like a sine curve, with periods of more and less conflict. Residents of Gaza are dependent on humanitarian aid, have limited electricity and still haven’t rebuilt the thousands of buildings destroyed in 2014. Israelis living on the border have been terrorized for decades by sirens warning of incoming rockets, with only seconds to run for shelter.

    And the past few months have not been particularly calm. A series of Palestinian protests on the Gaza border this spring erupted in clashes between Palestinians, including Hamas militants, storming the border fences and Israeli soldiers, who killed more than 100 Palestinians altogether — including 60 on May 14, mostly Hamas members.

    Since then, Palestinians have set fire to thousands of acres of Israeli farmland on the Gaza border via flaming kites and balloons. In early July, Israel closed Gaza’s only commercial border crossing in response to the fires, later partially reopening it. On July 20, Hamas sniper fire killed an Israeli soldier. Israel responded with airstrikes that killed four Hamas militants.

    But those clashes were headed off the next morning with a cease-fire. Whether that will happen again remains to be seen.


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    15 Comments
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    stamnamefortrump
    Noble Member
    stamnamefortrump
    5 years ago

    Yeah the mistake is not carpet bombing Gaza after the first time they bombed us

    5 years ago

    This article is almost comical. There were no mistakes. These naval exercises were not about defending Gaza from its enemies that would want to capture it. In fact, Hamas has no need for any defensive forces. It is dedicated to being on the offensive. It attacks Israel anytime it can. Anything remotely related to military anything is for the single, sole purpose of attacking Israel. And its entire economy is focused on that, to the detriment of its residents. Firing on these terrorists is always a good thing, whether they are firing on us, practicing military exercises, or drinking tea.

    These animals are bloodthirsty, and do what they do because that is their mission in life. Whether they are involved in “talks” about cease fire is completely irrelevant. It never stopped them in the past. The analysis here sounds good, but has no true meaning.

    Liepa
    Liepa
    5 years ago

    ‘Hamas gunfire apparently was not meant for Israeli soldiers’
    and if anyone believes that, I have a bridge for sale, in fact I have any bridge you can imagine, for sale !!!

    abilenetx
    abilenetx
    5 years ago

    this is so full of bull, any excuse to bomb Israel, any excuse. And naturally Israel is now bowing, kissing butts, forgive me, forgive me for defending my own country, sorry, sorry. What ever happened to Israel of 1948, 1960, 1970 who won wars from 6 countries, erev rav government is too busy bowing to the world they rather destroy their own country then offend the world and that is why all this hate is happening. If Israel were the warriors they were before this useless government, they would have respect not disdain.

    lazy-boy
    Active Member
    lazy-boy
    5 years ago

    after reading the Koran and speaking with many S’fardim, one thing is absolutely certain:
    NEVER TRUST AN ARAB
    they believe in the pure power of the lie. If they can trick you with a lie, this means they are smarter than you and if they can not trick you with this lie, they will try and lie again….

    fat36
    fat36
    5 years ago

    Israel is always saying you can’t trust them for nothing they are always lying about everything but all of a sudden now they want to believe them when they said shooting wasn’t intended for Israeli soldiers.Is Israel that crazy or are these terrorist that smart

    5 years ago

    NO mistakes unfortunately. The Israelis are hungry to say they were attacked in order to attack. Same animals as the Muslims but unfortunately its the Yidishe Kinder that are acting as the erev rav. a Shande!