Missile from Gaza hits Israeli school bus; 2 hurt

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110407/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians;_ylt=Al72A.BFzpJPG4XeBHVm.gYLewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTJzcHBrNjc1BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNDA3L21sX2lzcmFlbF9wYWxlc3RpbmlhbnMEcG9zAzEEc2VjA3luX3BhZ2luYXRlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDbWlzc2lsZWZyb21n

JERUSALEM – An anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip struck a school bus in southern Israel Thursday, wounding two people, including one child critically, Israeli officials said.

Israeli tanks quickly retaliated by opening fire across the border, killing a 50-year-old man and wounding seven other people, Palestinian medics said.

The sudden outbreak of violence illustrated the fragile situation along the Israel-Gaza border, where small bouts of violence can quickly escalate into heavy-scale warfare.

Israel's defense minister, Ehud Barak, ordered the army to respond quickly and said he held the Hamas militant group, which rules Gaza, responsible for the violence. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack.

Israeli medical services said the bus was nearly empty after dropping off school children and was carrying only the driver and a lone passenger at the time of the attack. Paramedics were trying to resuscitate a 16-year-old boy with a serious head wound at the scene. The driver was moderately wounded.

TV footage showed a yellow bus with its windows blown out and its rear charred. Police said it was struck by an anti-tank missile.

After a two-year lull, tensions have been rising between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza over the past few weeks.

Palestinian officials reported tank fire toward Gaza shortly after the missile attack. The Israeli fire killed a 50-year-old man and wounded seven people, said Palestinian health official Adham Abu Salmiya.

Israel usually responds with tough reprisals to Palestinian attacks. It also launched an airstrike on a Hamas training facility in northern Gaza.

The missile attack came hours after Israel carried out a series of airstrikes against tunnels it says are used by militants to smuggle weapons under the Egyptian border and carry out attacks.

Hamas and other Gaza militants have fired thousands of projectiles toward southern Israel in previous years. Israel launched a massive offensive in late 2008 to counter the near daily barrage.

Edited April 7, 2011 by Why_Me

[Pooky 3,348]

7 April 2011 Last updated at 20:40 ET

Gaza violence: Hamas declares ceasefire with Israel

A teenager was critically wounded in the attack on the bus

Islamist group Hamas says it has brokered a deal for Gaza's militant groups to stop firing on Israel, after another day of violent exchanges.

Hamas, which governs Gaza, said the truce was designed to stop an escalation of Israeli "aggression".

The militant wing of Hamas earlier hit an Israeli bus with an anti-tank shell, injuring two people.

Israeli forces replied with air strikes and tank fire, killing four and wounding 30, Palestinian doctors say.

The bus attack was condemned by the US, which said it was particularly concerned by reports that the Gaza militants had used an advanced anti-tank weapon to target civilians.

The bus had been dropping off schoolchildren near the Nahal Oz kibbutz, and was carrying only one passenger when it was hit, Israeli medical sources said.

A 16-year-old boy suffered a serious head wound and was taken to hospital for surgery.

After the attack, witnesses said more rockets and mortars were fired from the Gaza Strip.

In response, an Israeli plane bombed a compound in northern Gaza belonging to Hamas. Targets in Gaza City and Rafah were also hit.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would take any action necessary to deter attacks from Gaza.

"We hope this situation will be contained but we will not shy away from taking all the necessary action, offensive and defensive, to protect our country and to protect our citizens," said Mr Netanyahu during a visit to Prague.

Later, the Hamas Interior Ministry announced it had been in talks to broker a truce, saying: "We received a positive response from most of the factions."

The ministry did not announce which groups had refused the truce.

Officials said the ceasefire went into effect at 2300 local time (2000 GMT).

Riyad Mansour, the top Palestinian diplomat at the UN, said he hoped Israel would also respect the move.

Last month saw some of the worst violence since Israel launched a major offensive in Gaza in December 2008.

In one week in March, at least 10 Palestinians - including several civilians and children - were killed by Israeli attacks.

In the same period, militants in Gaza fired more than 80 rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel.

Israel says it holds Hamas responsible for all attacks coming out of Palestinian territory, even if it is other militant groups carrying them out.

BBC Link

Two things stand out in all of this.

First off, the official American position is back on the side of the Israelis in this instance, condemning Hamas and the use of anti-tank weaponry against a school bus.

Secondly, Hamas called for a ceasefire of its own accord. Ostensibly, they say it is to preempt Israeli retributive attacks. More likely, Hamas knows that targeting a school bus with something designed to kill tanks is a PR nightmare when they have the sympathy of the international media, and declaring a unilateral ceasefire is the best way out of the situation without losing the media completely.

I hope the Israelis respond to the ceasefire with one of their own. People there need a chance to talk.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Attack a school bus with an anti-tank missile....... Islamic terrorists are soooooo brave.

Go get 'em IDF!!!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Attack a school bus with an anti-tank missile....... Islamic terrorists are soooooo brave.

Go get 'em IDF!!!

Straight to the terrorism thread eh? Like a fly to roadkill

[luckytxn 2,263]

Religion of peace.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Thread of BS

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Thread of BS

Why is that ? Can you be more explicit in your post please.

[웃 910]

Why is that ? Can you be more explicit in your post please.

He is rooting for terrorists. He gets offended if you post articles of terrorists committing acts of terror.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

You'll need something better than that, buddy.

[Pooky 3,348]

Thread of BS

So, how is a report that Palestinian terrorists used an "advanced anti-tank weapon" on an Israeli school bus a "Thread of BS"?

[Blob18 111]

So, how is a report that Palestinian terrorists used an "advanced anti-tank weapon" on an Israeli school bus a "Thread of BS"?

In reality it isn't. In his world it is.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

In 'reality', this thread exposes the same smelly, stale old anti muslim prejudices these topics always generate.

As to the article: business as usual in Israel.

Edited April 8, 2011 by fishdude

[Samoray 165]

If Hamas is firing rockets on Israel and injuring and rarely killing civilians, Israel reply with massive operations in Gaza only killing civilians.

Israel is a terrorist with sophisticated weaponry, and they don't want peace simply cause killing or injuring one or two Israeli civilians every now and then is a fair price for the continuation of building illegal settlements, so compromising with the Palestinians will make them give up their dream of expansion.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

If Hamas is firing rockets on Israel and injuring and rarely killing civilians, Israel reply with massive operations in Gaza only killing civilians.

Israel is a terrorist with sophisticated weaponry, and they don't want peace simply cause killing or injuring one or two Israeli civilians every now and then is a fair price for the continuation of building illegal settlements, so compromising with the Palestinians will make them give up their dream of expansion.

Put foot in mouth ?

Edited April 8, 2011 by Why_Me

[ready4ONE 5,400]

If Samoray and fishdude want to root for terrorists this is America, and dog gone it that is their right...