Gaza-Israel Border Explodes: Missiles in and Return Fire

Tension along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip on Wednesday erupted into some of the worst violence seen in a year and a half. Hamas fired mortars into Israeli territory at least six times sparking a response by the Israeli air force which struck at Hamas targets on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzook said the mortars were in response to what Hamas saw as Israeli forces encroaching on territory around the border fence, the ‘encroachment’ apparently being Israeli army teams seeking out Hamas terror tunnels and neutralizing them. He said his fighters would stop firing mortars if the Israelis pulled back, a formula the Israelis have not commented on. The network of tunnels Hamas has built along the border and even beneath the border into Israeli territory form a stage for terror attacks on Israeli troops and attempts to capture soldiers to use for prisoner swaps. It is widely believed that Israel has made significant progress on the technological side of locating the tunnels and is now moving to neutralize them before another round of fighting breaks out. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon toured the Gaza border on Tuesday and saw a tunnel recently discovered.