2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks
Encyclopedia
On August 18, 2011, a series of cross-border attacks with parallel attacks and mutual cover was carried out in southern Israel
on Highway 12
near the Egypt
ian border by a squad of presumably 12 militants in four groups. The attacks occurred after Israels interior security service Shin Beth had warned of a terror attack in the region and massive Israeli troops had been stationed in the area. The militants first opened fire at an Egged No. 392 bus as it was traveling on Highway 12 in the Negev
near Eilat. Several minutes later, a bomb was detonated next to an Israeli army patrol along Israel's border with Egypt. In a third attack, an anti-tank missile hit a private vehicle, killing four civilians. Eight Israelis — six civilians, one Yamam
special Unit police officer and one Golani Brigade
soldier—were killed in the multiple-stage attack. The Israeli security forces
reported eight attackers killed, and Egyptian security forces reported killing another two.
Five Egypt
ian soldiers were also killed. According to Egypt they were killed by Israeli security forces chasing militants across the Egyptian border, while an Israeli military officer initially said they were killed by a suicide bomber who had fled across the border into Egypt. The five deaths triggered a diplomatic row between Egypt and Israel and led to mass protests outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo. According to media reports, Egypt threatened to withdraw its ambassador to Israel, but Egypt's foreign minister later denied this. Israel expressed regret over the deaths, and sent a letter of apology to Egypt. The Israel Defense Forces
were ordered to conduct a military probe of the incident, and on August 25, 2011, Israel agreed to a joint investigation with Egypt of the events.
The identity of the attackers, three of whom were reportedly Egyptian, is not widely agreed upon, and so far no group took responsibility for the attacks.
The Israeli government accused the Palestinian Popular Resistance Committees
(PRC), a Gaza
-based coalition of Palestinian militant groups, of orchestrating the attacks, but the PRC denies involvement. However, Israel attacked seven targets in the Gaza Strip immediately after the terror attacks in the Negev, killing five members of the PRC, including its leader.
On August 21, 2011, an informal ceasefire was called by Israel and Hamas
after days of escalating violence in which fifteen Palestinians were killed and many were wounded. More than 100 rockets and mortar shells were fired from Gaza into Israel, killing one Israeli and wounding more than a dozen. The ceasefire was broken almost immediately by rocket fire from Gaza on southern Israel, followed by retaliatory Israeli airstrikes, killing at least seven Palestinians, among them two leaders of the Islamic Jihad
. On August 26, 2011, Gaza militants called a second truce.
Following the 2011 Egyptian revolution
militant organizations increased their activity in the Sinai Peninsula
and Al-Qaeda
militants groups were established, after Egyptian police had all but completely withdrawn from the northern Sinai, dominated by Bedouin
tribes. During the months preceding the cross-border attacks, Egypt reinforced its forces with about 1,000 additional soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula, with the consent of Israel, after a series of five bombings had disrupted the flow of natural gas to Israel.
On 30 July, militants staged an attack on an Egyptian police station in El-Arish, killing six.
On 2 August, a group claiming to be the Sinai wing of Al-Qaeda
declared its intention to create an Islamic caliphate
in the Sinai.
On August 14, 2011, Egyptian forces swept the Sinai Peninsula in search of terror cells. Jordanian intelligence informed the Israelis that they had information about an impending terror attack in the south of Israel. Two days prior to the attack, the Egyptian army captured four Islamist insurgents as they prepared to blow up a gas pipeline in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula.
Israeli interior security service Shin Bet had warned of terrorist attacks being planned in the region in an area 80 kilometers long, presuming that they would take place at night. The warnings led to a massive deployment of IDF troops, and the closing of Highway 12, which was reopened only on the day of the attack at the order of head of IDF's southern command Tal Russo
.
The attacks commenced around 12:00 pm (UTC+2) near the Ein Netafim
spring, on Highway 12
from Mitzpe Ramon
to Eilat, when three militants spread out about 200 meters from one another, armed with suicide bomb vests, grenades, RPGs, and machine guns opened fire on a Egged
passenger bus on line 392, that usually carries mostly soldiers but was also carrying some civilians, wounding seven passengers, most of them soldiers. According to eyewitnesses, a white car was following the bus, and a group of people dressed as soldiers got out and opened fire on the bus. The bus driver, Benny Belevsky, did not stop the bus and sped away, getting to an IDF post near the Netafim Border Crossing
. The militants, dressed in brown uniforms resembling those of the Egyptian Army
, then began attacking passing vehicles, waving white handkerchiefs to fool motorists.
One of the militants attacked a bus that drove by and detonated the bomb belt he was carrying, killing himself and the bus driver, who had stopped the empty bus. Another militant opened fire at a passing car and killed the female driver. The same militant then fired an RPG at an Israeli Air Force
helicopter, but missed. An IDF jeep from the Golani Brigade
then arrived at the scene and ran over the militant, killing him.
Israeli forces began pursuing the perpetrators soon after the attack and locked down the area. In a joint operation between the IDF and Shin Bet, soldiers were brought to the site and located the militants about 20 kilometers north of Eilat. A firefight erupted after the IDF caught up with a vehicle transporting the militants. Several militants were killed.
The second stage took place several minutes later on Route 12 near the border with Egypt. An IDF jeep carrying Golani Brigade
troops ran over a roadside bomb. As the soldiers got out, the surviving militants opened fire at them, and the soldiers returned fire. One Israeli soldier, 22 year-old Staff-Sergeant Moshe Naftali, was killed by friendly fire
during the engagement, and several soldiers were injured. More shots were then fired by militants within Egypt. IDF soldiers returned fire, briefly crossing the border and killing two militants. The Egyptian Army
informed the IDF that its soldiers killed two more militants in the Sinai.
In the third attack, which occurred around 12:40, mortar shells landed near a civilian vehicle which was carrying a team maintaining the security fence constructed along the border between Israel and Egypt. No one was hurt in the attack.
Around 13:30, not far from the first shooting incident, militants opened fire, including with an anti-tank missile, at a bus and private car on route 90, a desert road near the border with Jordan. According to medics, five people were killed in the attacks. Seven people were wounded when another private vehicle was hit by an anti-tank missile. Eyewitnesses suggested that some of the attackers may have been wearing Egyptian Army
uniforms. Two IAF helicopters were called to the scene in order to evacuate those wounded.
Around 18:30, an Israeli patrol was fired on from the Egyptian border as it searched for militants. Israeli troops returned fire, and the shooting lasted for about an hour. Chief Warrant Officer Pascal Avahami, a sniper from the Yamam
police unit, was critically wounded and later died. News of the firefight interrupted a briefing by the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak
and Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.
According to an Egyptian probe, Israeli troops entered the Sinai Peninsula chasing after the terrorists, exchanging fire with Egyptian police, and an Israeli helicopter fired two rockets at the terrorists and machine guns at Egyptian security personnel, killing an Egyptian officer and two policemen. In a later incident, first reported as a suicide bomb attack, another two Egyptian soldiers were killed, presumably also by Israeli forces. Some Israeli sources claimed that an IDF investigation said that the IDF's attack helicopters avoided hitting the Egyptian military and that it remains unclear who fired the deadly shots.
The five deaths triggered a diplomatic row between the two countries and lead to mass protests in Cairo outside the Israeli embassy.
Following the attack, all roads to and from Eilat were sealed off and operations at Ovda Airport were suspended. Roadblocks were set up at the entrance to the city of Eilat. Magen David Adom
(Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service) raised its alert level and began preparing teams of paramedics and medical equipment. Eilat police deployed a large number of security forces and a police war room was opened at the Yoseftal Medical Center
. Seven of the 29 injured people who were brought to the Yoseftal Medical Center were later transferred to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. The police asked the public to expect roadblocks at the entrance to Eilat amidst a heavy police presence in the city; however later in the day they added that no security incidents were under way in either Eilat or Beersheba despite calling for public vigilance and for the public-at-large to contact police in case of any suspicious individuals or items.
Israeli security forces
Egyptian soldiers
Attackers
Egyptian soldiers
a group calling itself Ansar Jerusalem claimed responsibility for the attack. Nevertheless, Israel has stated that it possesses evidence that indicate that the attacks were orchestrated by the Popular Resistance Committees
(PRC) in Gaza.
The (PRC) has denied any involvement in the attack, though they praised it. According to PRC spokesman, "The occupation wants to pin this operation on us in order to escape its own internal problems". According to Haaretz, there is doubt in Gaza, that members of the Popular Resistance Committees were behind the attack. The Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that Egyptian security forces have identified three of those responsible for the attack as Egyptians.
Hamas, which governs Gaza, also denied involvement. Sky News
quoted Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nunu as saying: "The Palestinian government denies the accusations made by Barak about the operation in Eilat and affirms that there is no relation between the Gaza Strip and what happened near Eilat." Hamas did, however, "praise" the attack.
The Washington Times reports that US intelligence agencies link Al Qaeda to the attack, claiming that either the PRC or the Gaza-based Jaish al Islam
carried out the attacks.
, working with Shin Bet, bombed a building used by Popular Resistance Committees' members in Rafah
. Five PRC members were killed. Among the dead was the PRC's commander Kamal al-Nairab and military chief Immad Hammad. Of the remaining three, two were top members. The two-year old son of one of the militants, who was in the building when it was attacked, was also killed. The airstrike occurred in the southern Gaza Strip, close to the Egyptian border. The PRC responded to the attack in saying that it vows "double" revenge. Later, the Israeli Air Force launched a wave of attacks against targets in Gaza. A home near the former Palestinian intelligence headquarters was hit, reportedly killing one and wounding seventeen, and starting a large fire in the area. Israeli aircraft fired three missiles at a building used by Hamas security forces, and bombed a Hamas outpost in Khan Yunis
. A missile was also fired at an open area in the southern Gaza Strip. Several targets were bombed in the northern Gaza Strip, including a building used by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
. Several targets were hit around the Philadelphi Route
, believed to have been smuggling tunnels. Numerous rocket-launching cells were attacked during the airstrikes. Three Palestinian militants were killed as they participated in the firing of rockets, and senior PRC member Samed Abdul Mu'ty Abed was killed while riding a motorcycle in northern Gaza. Another man was injured in the attack that killed Abed.
The Israeli Air Force bombed two tunnels and one warehouse used for manufacturing weapons in southern Gaza and one site used for militant activities. The tunnels had been used to allow assailants to infiltrate Israel and carry out attacks according to a statement released by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit
. The IAF identified direct hits, and all aircraft returned to Israel safely.
An airstrike in central Gaza targeting a car killed a Palestinian militant, his 5 year-old son, and his brother.
and Beersheba
, causing no injuries. Two additional rockets landed in a courtyard of a Yeshiva
in Ashdod, wounding 10 people and lightly damaging the buildings. The Abdullah Azzam Shaheed Brigade
, a radical Islamic group affiliated with Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Over 80 rockets launched from Gaza hit cities in Israel, killing one Israeli and wounding over a dozen. Seven rockets were fired almost simultaneously at Beersheba
. The Iron Dome
rocket defense system intercepted five of them, but one hit a residential area and killed Israeli civilian Yossi Shushan. The Lachish
subdistrict was hit by 28 rockets and the Negev subdistrict was hit by nine rockets. Four Israelis from the Bnei Shimon Regional Council
were injured while running for shelter in Beersheba. Three Palestinians working in Israel were injured by Grad rockets after they exploded in a field in southern Ashdod. Vehicles and homes were damaged by rockets in Israeli cities near Gaza.
A grad rocket exploded near the coastal city of Ashkelon
in the night, though no injuries or damage were reported. It was unknown whether the rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome
, though it was confirmed that a second rocket was intercepted.
On August 21, an additional 12 rockets were fired at Israel. Three were intercepted by the Iron Dome in Ashkelon. One of the rockets hit an empty high school building in Beersheba.
No one was in the school because "the city had canceled educational activities in light of the missile attacks that Palestinians in Gaza have been launching against the south in the last few days" according to Beersheba deputy mayor Heftziba Zohar. Later that night, a rocket killed a dog
.
Barrages of rockets were fired at Beersheba and Ashkelon. Half of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome
. Mortar shells fired at farmland in the Eshkol Regional Council
contained phosphorus
, which is designed to create a more intense fire after detonation. 40 rockets were fired on Sunday. Several structures were damaged and a car caught fire after two rockets were fired at Ashkelon. A three-month old infant was injured by glass splinters.
A 13-year old Palestinian boy, Mahmoud Abu Samra, was killed during the rocket attacks when a Palestinian Grad rocket fell short and landed in Gaza.
An informal ceasefire was agreed upon between Israel and Hamas after the Arab League
held an "urgent meeting" in Cairo on August 21, 2011. Some 20 minutes after the ceasefire came into effect, a barrage of Qassam rockets and mortar shells was fired at Israel. The Iron Dome
intercepted two rockets fired at Ashkelon. The Israeli Air Force
attacked a militant cell in the northern Gaza Strip, wounding several people. The Islamic Jihad Movement and the Popular Resistance Committees said that they would not accept a ceasefire.
On August 23, four Qassam rockets were fired at Israel in breach of the ceasefire. The rockets landed in open areas and caused no casualties, but one caused a brushfire which spread to an area near two civilian communities and threatened local greenhouse
s. Firefighters managed to contain the blaze before it did any damage.
On August 24, more than 20 rockets were fired at Israeli communities. Grad rockets targeted the cities of Beersheba, Ashkelon, and Ofakim, injuring a 9-month old baby. In Gaza, a senior Islamic Jihad member who funded the cross-border attacks was killed and two others wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a car. Israeli jets also fired at two militants after they were seen preparing to fire rockets. Several hours after the strike, two mortar shells landed in the western Negev, causing no casualties. Seven rockets were fired at Southern Israel, causing no damage or casualties. The Israeli Air Force attacked an Islamic Jihad rocket-launching cell, killing one militant. According to Palestinian media, the IDF fired shells at a militant squad in eastern Gaza after a rocket attack, but the cell escaped the strike. On August 25, the Islamic Jihad Movement announced that it would abide by the ceasefire. The same day, 15 rockets and mortar shells hit Southern Israel, hitting open areas near Ashkelon and in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council
. A mortar shell heavily damaged the Erez Crossing Terminal
. Israel responded with airstrikes on several targets in the Gaza Strip. The two Islamic Jihad militants who had launched the mortar attack on the Erez Crossing were killed by an airstrike as traveled on their motorbike in northern Gaza. On August 26, two Qassam rockets hit open areas in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council
, and a Grad rocket exploded near Ashkelon. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
claimed responsibility.
Following the media reports about the killing of the Egyptian security officers, demonstrations against Israel erupted in Cairo outside the Israeli Embassy. The demonstrators threw fire crackers at the building, unfurled a Palestinian flag, and called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador in response to the killings. Eventually a young Egyptian, Ahmed Shahhat, climbed to the roof of the apartment building which houses the Israeli Embassy and removed the Israeli flag, replacing it with an Egyptian flag he had carried with him, becoming an instant folk hero in Egypt. The Israeli flag he had taken down was burned by protesters. During the demonstrations which continued for several days, thousands of protesters, shouting anti Israel slogans, called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, the recalling of Egyptian ambassador to Israel, a review of the Camp David Accords
and the opening of the border with the Gaza Strip. But a demonstration on Friday, August 26, 2011, announced as "Million-man demonstration to expel the Israeli ambassador" held in Cairo outside the Israeli Embassy, only drew a few hundred protesters.
Israel:
Palestinian territories:
Egypt:
Supranational – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
on Thursday strongly condemned the attack but called for restraint. According to a UN statement, "the secretary-general hopes that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice. He is concerned at the risk of escalation and calls for all to act with restraint." – EU Chief Catherine Ashton condemned the attacks, and said "I have learned with deep concern of the series of terrorist attacks that has taken place in Southern Israel today, including against civilian targets, and in which several Israelis are reported to have lost their lives and many more to have been injured. I condemn unreservedly all such acts of terror, extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in these attacks and express my wishes for a full and speedy recovery to the injured."
International – The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks, saying: "We express our sincere condolences to the relatives of all victims. We are convinced that violence and terrorism cannot bring peace to the Middle East. Such acts do not help the efforts of the international community to bring the participants in the Middle East peace process back to the negotiations table." – Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird
condemned the attacks, saying: “Canada condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks in southern Israel today. These cowardly attacks, particularly on civilian targets, are abhorrent and criminal. On behalf of all Canadians, I send my heartfelt condolences to those affected by today’s vicious attacks.” Furthermore, Baird said: "“Israel has a right to defend itself against such terrorist acts in conformity with international humanitarian law. Those responsible for these horrific attacks must be held accountable.” – The Ministry of Foreign Relations published an article condemning the attack, communicating its condolences to the people of Israel, specially to the victims and families of the murdered. The article stated that Costa Rica, as a peace loving country, respectful of all human rights, expresses its most energetic disapproval of any kind of violence or terrorist attacks, regardless of the motives behind it. – Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle
also condemned the attacks saying: "At this difficult hour we stand by the side of our Israeli friends. Those responsible must be prosecuted. Terror and violence must not be allowed to torpedo peace and negotiation efforts in the Middle East." – Italian Foreign Affairs Minister, Franco Frattini, condemned the "barbaric" attacks on southern Israel and warned the international community to prevent more such attacks due to the unrest in the Arab world. He said: "I would like to express my condolences and closeness to the Israeli people and government for the loss of life in the barbaric attacks today." – The Dutch Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks "in the strongest terms." – Norwegian foreign minister Jonas Gahr Støre
"condemned in the strongest possible terms" the acts of terror, adding that Norway condemns all use of terror – Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt
said that "I condemn these appalling and senseless acts of violence. As efforts for peace in the region continue, this brutality has no place, nor its perpetrators any excuse. My thoughts and prayers are with those killed and injured and I offer sincere condolences to their families and friends." – The State Department condemned the attacks "in the strongest terms," calling the attack "brutal and cowardly." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said "We hope that those involved in the planning of these gruesome attacks will be brought to swift justice. We stand by Israel as our friend, partner, and ally – now and always." She also added that "This violence only underscores our strong concerns about the security situation in the Sinai Peninsula. Recent commitments by the Egyptian government to address the security situation in the Sinai are important and we urge the Egyptian government to find a lasting resolution." - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman by telephone. Lavrov expressed his condolences over the terrorist attacks in southern Israel. He condemned this extremist act, and "reaffirmed the immutable position of Russia that there can be no justification for terror or for those who use it as means to achieve their ends". He also said that "despite the gravity of the crime, it is necessary to exercise restraint and to avoid retaliatory steps from which innocent people may suffer".
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
on Highway 12
Highway 12 (Israel)
Highway 12 is an expressway in the South District of Israel. It surrounds the mountains of Eilat from the north and west, and it connects Eilat to Highway 10 and Highway 40, which lead toward central Israel...
near the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian border by a squad of presumably 12 militants in four groups. The attacks occurred after Israels interior security service Shin Beth had warned of a terror attack in the region and massive Israeli troops had been stationed in the area. The militants first opened fire at an Egged No. 392 bus as it was traveling on Highway 12 in the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
near Eilat. Several minutes later, a bomb was detonated next to an Israeli army patrol along Israel's border with Egypt. In a third attack, an anti-tank missile hit a private vehicle, killing four civilians. Eight Israelis — six civilians, one Yamam
Yamam
The Yamam ) is an elite Border police, not civilian Police counter-terrorism unit in Israel. The Yamam is capable of both hostage-rescue operations and offensive take-over raids against targets in civilian areas...
special Unit police officer and one Golani Brigade
Golani Brigade
The Golani Brigade is an Israeli infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. Its symbol is a green tree on a yellow background, and its soldiers wear a brown beret. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the...
soldier—were killed in the multiple-stage attack. The Israeli security forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
reported eight attackers killed, and Egyptian security forces reported killing another two.
Five Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian soldiers were also killed. According to Egypt they were killed by Israeli security forces chasing militants across the Egyptian border, while an Israeli military officer initially said they were killed by a suicide bomber who had fled across the border into Egypt. The five deaths triggered a diplomatic row between Egypt and Israel and led to mass protests outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo. According to media reports, Egypt threatened to withdraw its ambassador to Israel, but Egypt's foreign minister later denied this. Israel expressed regret over the deaths, and sent a letter of apology to Egypt. The Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
were ordered to conduct a military probe of the incident, and on August 25, 2011, Israel agreed to a joint investigation with Egypt of the events.
The identity of the attackers, three of whom were reportedly Egyptian, is not widely agreed upon, and so far no group took responsibility for the attacks.
The Israeli government accused the Palestinian Popular Resistance Committees
Popular Resistance Committees
The Popular Resistance Committees are a coalition of various armed Palestinian factions that oppose the conciliatory approach adopted by the Palestinian Authority and Fatah towards Israel...
(PRC), a Gaza
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
-based coalition of Palestinian militant groups, of orchestrating the attacks, but the PRC denies involvement. However, Israel attacked seven targets in the Gaza Strip immediately after the terror attacks in the Negev, killing five members of the PRC, including its leader.
On August 21, 2011, an informal ceasefire was called by Israel and Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
after days of escalating violence in which fifteen Palestinians were killed and many were wounded. More than 100 rockets and mortar shells were fired from Gaza into Israel, killing one Israeli and wounding more than a dozen. The ceasefire was broken almost immediately by rocket fire from Gaza on southern Israel, followed by retaliatory Israeli airstrikes, killing at least seven Palestinians, among them two leaders of the Islamic Jihad
Islamic Jihad
Islamic Jihad may refer to:* Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine* Islamic Jihad Organization, active mostly in Lebanon* Islamic Jihad of Yemen* Turkish Islamic Jihad* Egyptian Islamic JihadSee also:* Islamic jihad, theological concept of jihad...
. On August 26, 2011, Gaza militants called a second truce.
Background
The southern part of Israeli Highway 12 runs adjacent to Israel's border with Egypt. It was the scene of previous shooting attacks in the 1990s. In the late 2000s, the Israeli government decided to build the Israel–Egypt barrier, although by 2011 only 10% of it had been completed, none close to the site of the attack.Following the 2011 Egyptian revolution
2011 Egyptian revolution
The 2011 Egyptian revolution took place following a popular uprising that began on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 and is still continuing as of November 2011. The uprising was mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil...
militant organizations increased their activity in the Sinai Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
and Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
militants groups were established, after Egyptian police had all but completely withdrawn from the northern Sinai, dominated by Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
tribes. During the months preceding the cross-border attacks, Egypt reinforced its forces with about 1,000 additional soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula, with the consent of Israel, after a series of five bombings had disrupted the flow of natural gas to Israel.
On 30 July, militants staged an attack on an Egyptian police station in El-Arish, killing six.
On 2 August, a group claiming to be the Sinai wing of Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
declared its intention to create an Islamic caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
in the Sinai.
On August 14, 2011, Egyptian forces swept the Sinai Peninsula in search of terror cells. Jordanian intelligence informed the Israelis that they had information about an impending terror attack in the south of Israel. Two days prior to the attack, the Egyptian army captured four Islamist insurgents as they prepared to blow up a gas pipeline in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula.
Israeli interior security service Shin Bet had warned of terrorist attacks being planned in the region in an area 80 kilometers long, presuming that they would take place at night. The warnings led to a massive deployment of IDF troops, and the closing of Highway 12, which was reopened only on the day of the attack at the order of head of IDF's southern command Tal Russo
Tal Russo
Aluf Tal Russo is a general in the Israel Defense Forces and currently the commander of the Israel Defense Forces Southern Command .Russo was born in kibbutz Hulata in northern Israel and drafted into the IDF in 1978...
.
August 18th cross-border attacks and immediate Israeli response
The original attacks occurred in three coordinated stages. They were carried out by 12 militants in four groups dispersed over an area 12 kilometers long. At least some of the attackers wore brown uniforms, similar to those used by the Egyptian Army.The attacks commenced around 12:00 pm (UTC+2) near the Ein Netafim
Ein Netafim
Ein Netafim is a water spring in the Eilat mountains located near the Israeli border with Egypt. The spring is located about seven kilometers north of the city of Eilat, near the Highway 12 road which leads to Eilat...
spring, on Highway 12
Highway 12 (Israel)
Highway 12 is an expressway in the South District of Israel. It surrounds the mountains of Eilat from the north and west, and it connects Eilat to Highway 10 and Highway 40, which lead toward central Israel...
from Mitzpe Ramon
Mitzpe Ramon
Mitzpe Ramon is a town in the Negev desert of southern Israel. It is situated on the northern ridge at an elevation of 860 meters overlooking a sizable erosion cirque known as the Ramon Crater.-History:...
to Eilat, when three militants spread out about 200 meters from one another, armed with suicide bomb vests, grenades, RPGs, and machine guns opened fire on a Egged
Egged Bus Cooperative
Egged Israel Transport Cooperative Society Ltd , a cooperative owned by its members is the largest transit bus company in Israel. It provides about 55 % of public transport services throughout the country, employs 6,227 workers and has 2,861 buses for more than 928 service routes and 3,103...
passenger bus on line 392, that usually carries mostly soldiers but was also carrying some civilians, wounding seven passengers, most of them soldiers. According to eyewitnesses, a white car was following the bus, and a group of people dressed as soldiers got out and opened fire on the bus. The bus driver, Benny Belevsky, did not stop the bus and sped away, getting to an IDF post near the Netafim Border Crossing
Netafim Border Crossing
The Netafim Crossing is a border crossing between Israel and Egypt. It is located adjacent to Highway 12, about 12 km north of Eilat, 1 km north west of Ein Netafim....
. The militants, dressed in brown uniforms resembling those of the Egyptian Army
Egyptian Army
The Egyptian Army is the largest service branch within the Egyptian Armed Forces and holds power in the current Egyptian government. It is estimated to number around 379,000, in addition to 479,000 reservists for a total of 858,000 strong. The modern army was created in the 1820s, and during the...
, then began attacking passing vehicles, waving white handkerchiefs to fool motorists.
One of the militants attacked a bus that drove by and detonated the bomb belt he was carrying, killing himself and the bus driver, who had stopped the empty bus. Another militant opened fire at a passing car and killed the female driver. The same militant then fired an RPG at an Israeli Air Force
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
helicopter, but missed. An IDF jeep from the Golani Brigade
Golani Brigade
The Golani Brigade is an Israeli infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. Its symbol is a green tree on a yellow background, and its soldiers wear a brown beret. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the...
then arrived at the scene and ran over the militant, killing him.
Israeli forces began pursuing the perpetrators soon after the attack and locked down the area. In a joint operation between the IDF and Shin Bet, soldiers were brought to the site and located the militants about 20 kilometers north of Eilat. A firefight erupted after the IDF caught up with a vehicle transporting the militants. Several militants were killed.
The second stage took place several minutes later on Route 12 near the border with Egypt. An IDF jeep carrying Golani Brigade
Golani Brigade
The Golani Brigade is an Israeli infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. Its symbol is a green tree on a yellow background, and its soldiers wear a brown beret. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the...
troops ran over a roadside bomb. As the soldiers got out, the surviving militants opened fire at them, and the soldiers returned fire. One Israeli soldier, 22 year-old Staff-Sergeant Moshe Naftali, was killed by friendly fire
Friendly fire
Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. A death resulting from a negligent discharge is not considered friendly fire...
during the engagement, and several soldiers were injured. More shots were then fired by militants within Egypt. IDF soldiers returned fire, briefly crossing the border and killing two militants. The Egyptian Army
Egyptian Army
The Egyptian Army is the largest service branch within the Egyptian Armed Forces and holds power in the current Egyptian government. It is estimated to number around 379,000, in addition to 479,000 reservists for a total of 858,000 strong. The modern army was created in the 1820s, and during the...
informed the IDF that its soldiers killed two more militants in the Sinai.
In the third attack, which occurred around 12:40, mortar shells landed near a civilian vehicle which was carrying a team maintaining the security fence constructed along the border between Israel and Egypt. No one was hurt in the attack.
Around 13:30, not far from the first shooting incident, militants opened fire, including with an anti-tank missile, at a bus and private car on route 90, a desert road near the border with Jordan. According to medics, five people were killed in the attacks. Seven people were wounded when another private vehicle was hit by an anti-tank missile. Eyewitnesses suggested that some of the attackers may have been wearing Egyptian Army
Egyptian Army
The Egyptian Army is the largest service branch within the Egyptian Armed Forces and holds power in the current Egyptian government. It is estimated to number around 379,000, in addition to 479,000 reservists for a total of 858,000 strong. The modern army was created in the 1820s, and during the...
uniforms. Two IAF helicopters were called to the scene in order to evacuate those wounded.
Around 18:30, an Israeli patrol was fired on from the Egyptian border as it searched for militants. Israeli troops returned fire, and the shooting lasted for about an hour. Chief Warrant Officer Pascal Avahami, a sniper from the Yamam
Yamam
The Yamam ) is an elite Border police, not civilian Police counter-terrorism unit in Israel. The Yamam is capable of both hostage-rescue operations and offensive take-over raids against targets in civilian areas...
police unit, was critically wounded and later died. News of the firefight interrupted a briefing by the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
and Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.
According to an Egyptian probe, Israeli troops entered the Sinai Peninsula chasing after the terrorists, exchanging fire with Egyptian police, and an Israeli helicopter fired two rockets at the terrorists and machine guns at Egyptian security personnel, killing an Egyptian officer and two policemen. In a later incident, first reported as a suicide bomb attack, another two Egyptian soldiers were killed, presumably also by Israeli forces. Some Israeli sources claimed that an IDF investigation said that the IDF's attack helicopters avoided hitting the Egyptian military and that it remains unclear who fired the deadly shots.
The five deaths triggered a diplomatic row between the two countries and lead to mass protests in Cairo outside the Israeli embassy.
Following the attack, all roads to and from Eilat were sealed off and operations at Ovda Airport were suspended. Roadblocks were set up at the entrance to the city of Eilat. Magen David Adom
Magen David Adom
The Magen David Adom is Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service. The name means "Red Star of David"...
(Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service) raised its alert level and began preparing teams of paramedics and medical equipment. Eilat police deployed a large number of security forces and a police war room was opened at the Yoseftal Medical Center
Yoseftal Medical Center
Yoseftal Medical Center is a hospital in Eilat, Israel.Yoseftal Hospital, founded in 1968, is the southernmost hospital in Israel and the only hospital covering the southern Negev desert. It is named after Giora Yoseftal. It is Israel's smallest general hospital with 65 beds...
. Seven of the 29 injured people who were brought to the Yoseftal Medical Center were later transferred to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. The police asked the public to expect roadblocks at the entrance to Eilat amidst a heavy police presence in the city; however later in the day they added that no security incidents were under way in either Eilat or Beersheba despite calling for public vigilance and for the public-at-large to contact police in case of any suspicious individuals or items.
Fatalities
Israeli civilians- Yitzhak Sela, 56, a bus driver from BeershebaBeershebaBeersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
- Yossef Levi, 57 of Holon
- Flora Gez, 52, a kindergarten teacher from Kfar SabaKfar SabaKfar Saba , officially Kfar Sava, is a city in the Sharon region, of the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2009, Kfar Saba had a total population of 83,600.-History:...
, Shula Karlinski's sister - Moshe Gez, 53, of Kfar SabaKfar SabaKfar Saba , officially Kfar Sava, is a city in the Sharon region, of the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2009, Kfar Saba had a total population of 83,600.-History:...
, Flora Gez's husband - Dov Karlinski, 58, of Kfar SabaKfar SabaKfar Saba , officially Kfar Sava, is a city in the Sharon region, of the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2009, Kfar Saba had a total population of 83,600.-History:...
, Shula Karlinski's husband - Shula Karlinski, 54, a kindergarten teacher's assistant from Kfar SabaKfar SabaKfar Saba , officially Kfar Sava, is a city in the Sharon region, of the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2009, Kfar Saba had a total population of 83,600.-History:...
, Flora Gez's sister
Israeli security forces
- Staff-Sergeant Moshe Naftali, 22, of OfraOfraOfra is an Israeli settlement located in the northern West Bank in the jurisdiction of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. It is situated on the main road between Jerusalem and Nablus , 25 km from Jerusalem and has 3,200 inhabitants ....
- Chief Warrant Officer Pascal Avrahami, 49, of Jerusalem
Egyptian soldiers
- Officer Osama Galal Emam, 22, of Qalyubia, presumably killed by Israeli forces.
- Officer Taha Mohamed Ibrahim, 22, of Helwan, presumably killed by Israeli forces.
- Ahmed Galal Mohamed, of AsyutAsyutAsyut is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt; the ancient city of the same name is situated nearby. The modern city is located at , while the ancient city is at .- Etymology :...
, presumably killed by Israeli forces. - Ahmed Mohamed Abu Esa, presumably killed by Israeli forces.
- Emad Abdel Malak, presumably killed by Israeli forces.
Attackers
- Eight militants killed by Israeli forces.
- Two militants killed by Egyptian forces.
- One suicide bomber killed by his own device.
Injuries
Israelis- 40 Israelis
Egyptian soldiers
- Several soldiers wounded by a suicide bomber.
Responsibility
According to SITESITE Institute
The Search for International Terrorist Entities Intelligence Group is an organization that tracks the online activity of terrorist organizations. The SITE Institute was founded in 2002 by Rita Katz and Josh Devon, who had left the Investigative Project...
a group calling itself Ansar Jerusalem claimed responsibility for the attack. Nevertheless, Israel has stated that it possesses evidence that indicate that the attacks were orchestrated by the Popular Resistance Committees
Popular Resistance Committees
The Popular Resistance Committees are a coalition of various armed Palestinian factions that oppose the conciliatory approach adopted by the Palestinian Authority and Fatah towards Israel...
(PRC) in Gaza.
The (PRC) has denied any involvement in the attack, though they praised it. According to PRC spokesman, "The occupation wants to pin this operation on us in order to escape its own internal problems". According to Haaretz, there is doubt in Gaza, that members of the Popular Resistance Committees were behind the attack. The Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that Egyptian security forces have identified three of those responsible for the attack as Egyptians.
Hamas, which governs Gaza, also denied involvement. Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
quoted Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nunu as saying: "The Palestinian government denies the accusations made by Barak about the operation in Eilat and affirms that there is no relation between the Gaza Strip and what happened near Eilat." Hamas did, however, "praise" the attack.
The Washington Times reports that US intelligence agencies link Al Qaeda to the attack, claiming that either the PRC or the Gaza-based Jaish al Islam
Army of Islam (Gaza Strip)
Army of Islam , also known as Tawhid and Jihad Brigades, is the name used by the Doghmush Hamula for their Islamic militant activities. It is located at the Tzabra neighborhood in the center of the Gaza Strip bordered by Israel and Egypt...
carried out the attacks.
Israeli response in the Gaza Strip
At 18.00 the Israeli Air ForceIsraeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
, working with Shin Bet, bombed a building used by Popular Resistance Committees' members in Rafah
Rafah
Rafah , also known as Rafiah, is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. Located south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,003 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees. Rafah camp and Tall as-Sultan form separate localities. Rafah is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate...
. Five PRC members were killed. Among the dead was the PRC's commander Kamal al-Nairab and military chief Immad Hammad. Of the remaining three, two were top members. The two-year old son of one of the militants, who was in the building when it was attacked, was also killed. The airstrike occurred in the southern Gaza Strip, close to the Egyptian border. The PRC responded to the attack in saying that it vows "double" revenge. Later, the Israeli Air Force launched a wave of attacks against targets in Gaza. A home near the former Palestinian intelligence headquarters was hit, reportedly killing one and wounding seventeen, and starting a large fire in the area. Israeli aircraft fired three missiles at a building used by Hamas security forces, and bombed a Hamas outpost in Khan Yunis
Khan Yunis
Khan Yunis - often spelt Khan Younis or Khan Yunnis - is a city and adjacent refugee camp in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics the city, its refugee camp, and its immediate surroundings had a total population of 180,000 in 2006...
. A missile was also fired at an open area in the southern Gaza Strip. Several targets were bombed in the northern Gaza Strip, including a building used by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist fundamentalist socio-political organisation Hamas. Created in 1992, under the direction of Yahya Ayyash, the primary objective of the group was to build a coherent military organisation to support the goals of...
. Several targets were hit around the Philadelphi Route
Philadelphi Route
The Philadelphi Route refers to a narrow strip of land, 14 km in length, situated along the border between Gaza Strip and Egypt. Under the provisions of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty of 1979, the buffer zone was controlled and patrolled by Israeli forces. After the 1995 Oslo Accords,...
, believed to have been smuggling tunnels. Numerous rocket-launching cells were attacked during the airstrikes. Three Palestinian militants were killed as they participated in the firing of rockets, and senior PRC member Samed Abdul Mu'ty Abed was killed while riding a motorcycle in northern Gaza. Another man was injured in the attack that killed Abed.
The Israeli Air Force bombed two tunnels and one warehouse used for manufacturing weapons in southern Gaza and one site used for militant activities. The tunnels had been used to allow assailants to infiltrate Israel and carry out attacks according to a statement released by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit
IDF Spokesperson's Unit
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit is the unit in the IDF Operations Directorate, responsible for information policy and media relations. The unit is led by the IDF Spokesperson, a brigadier general and member of the General Staff, and by the Deputy Spokesperson, a colonel. The current Spokesperson is...
. The IAF identified direct hits, and all aircraft returned to Israel safely.
An airstrike in central Gaza targeting a car killed a Palestinian militant, his 5 year-old son, and his brother.
Palestinian militant response to Israeli air strikes
After the Israeli Air Force attacked targets in the Gaza Strip, at least 10 rockets were fired into southern Israel, hitting the cities of AshkelonAshkelon
Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
and Beersheba
Beersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
, causing no injuries. Two additional rockets landed in a courtyard of a Yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
in Ashdod, wounding 10 people and lightly damaging the buildings. The Abdullah Azzam Shaheed Brigade
Abdullah Azzam Shaheed Brigade
Abdullah Azzam Brigades is an Islamist militant group affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the global jihad movement. The group, which began operating in 2009, has local networks in various countries., The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center 01-09-2010 It is named after the late Sheikh...
, a radical Islamic group affiliated with Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Over 80 rockets launched from Gaza hit cities in Israel, killing one Israeli and wounding over a dozen. Seven rockets were fired almost simultaneously at Beersheba
Beersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
. The Iron Dome
Iron Dome
Iron Dome is a mobile air defense system in development by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells. The system was created as a defensive countermeasure to the rocket threat against Israel's civilian population on its northern and southern...
rocket defense system intercepted five of them, but one hit a residential area and killed Israeli civilian Yossi Shushan. The Lachish
Lachish
Lachish was an ancient Near East town located at the site of modern Tell ed-Duweir in the Shephelah, a region between Mount Hebron and the maritime plain of Philistia . The town was first mentioned in the Amarna letters as Lakisha-Lakiša...
subdistrict was hit by 28 rockets and the Negev subdistrict was hit by nine rockets. Four Israelis from the Bnei Shimon Regional Council
Bnei Shimon Regional Council
The Bnei Shimon Regional Council , is a regional council in the northern Negev in the south of Israel. Most of its territory lies north of Beersheba and the rest bounds Beersheba on the west and east sides as well. The eastern border of this territory straddles the Green Line.There are 13...
were injured while running for shelter in Beersheba. Three Palestinians working in Israel were injured by Grad rockets after they exploded in a field in southern Ashdod. Vehicles and homes were damaged by rockets in Israeli cities near Gaza.
A grad rocket exploded near the coastal city of Ashkelon
Ashkelon
Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
in the night, though no injuries or damage were reported. It was unknown whether the rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome
Iron Dome
Iron Dome is a mobile air defense system in development by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells. The system was created as a defensive countermeasure to the rocket threat against Israel's civilian population on its northern and southern...
, though it was confirmed that a second rocket was intercepted.
On August 21, an additional 12 rockets were fired at Israel. Three were intercepted by the Iron Dome in Ashkelon. One of the rockets hit an empty high school building in Beersheba.
No one was in the school because "the city had canceled educational activities in light of the missile attacks that Palestinians in Gaza have been launching against the south in the last few days" according to Beersheba deputy mayor Heftziba Zohar. Later that night, a rocket killed a dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
.
Barrages of rockets were fired at Beersheba and Ashkelon. Half of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome
Iron Dome
Iron Dome is a mobile air defense system in development by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells. The system was created as a defensive countermeasure to the rocket threat against Israel's civilian population on its northern and southern...
. Mortar shells fired at farmland in the Eshkol Regional Council
Eshkol Regional Council
The Eshcol Regional Council is a regional council in the north-western Negev, in Israel's Southern District. The regional council's territory lies midway between Ashkelon and Beersheba, bounded on the west by the Gaza Strip while the eastern border abuts the territory of the Bnei Shimon Regional...
contained phosphorus
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
, which is designed to create a more intense fire after detonation. 40 rockets were fired on Sunday. Several structures were damaged and a car caught fire after two rockets were fired at Ashkelon. A three-month old infant was injured by glass splinters.
A 13-year old Palestinian boy, Mahmoud Abu Samra, was killed during the rocket attacks when a Palestinian Grad rocket fell short and landed in Gaza.
An informal ceasefire was agreed upon between Israel and Hamas after the Arab League
Arab League
The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...
held an "urgent meeting" in Cairo on August 21, 2011. Some 20 minutes after the ceasefire came into effect, a barrage of Qassam rockets and mortar shells was fired at Israel. The Iron Dome
Iron Dome
Iron Dome is a mobile air defense system in development by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells. The system was created as a defensive countermeasure to the rocket threat against Israel's civilian population on its northern and southern...
intercepted two rockets fired at Ashkelon. The Israeli Air Force
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
attacked a militant cell in the northern Gaza Strip, wounding several people. The Islamic Jihad Movement and the Popular Resistance Committees said that they would not accept a ceasefire.
On August 23, four Qassam rockets were fired at Israel in breach of the ceasefire. The rockets landed in open areas and caused no casualties, but one caused a brushfire which spread to an area near two civilian communities and threatened local greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
s. Firefighters managed to contain the blaze before it did any damage.
On August 24, more than 20 rockets were fired at Israeli communities. Grad rockets targeted the cities of Beersheba, Ashkelon, and Ofakim, injuring a 9-month old baby. In Gaza, a senior Islamic Jihad member who funded the cross-border attacks was killed and two others wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a car. Israeli jets also fired at two militants after they were seen preparing to fire rockets. Several hours after the strike, two mortar shells landed in the western Negev, causing no casualties. Seven rockets were fired at Southern Israel, causing no damage or casualties. The Israeli Air Force attacked an Islamic Jihad rocket-launching cell, killing one militant. According to Palestinian media, the IDF fired shells at a militant squad in eastern Gaza after a rocket attack, but the cell escaped the strike. On August 25, the Islamic Jihad Movement announced that it would abide by the ceasefire. The same day, 15 rockets and mortar shells hit Southern Israel, hitting open areas near Ashkelon and in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council
Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council
The Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council , is a regional council in the north-western Negev, in Israel's Southern District. The Regional Council's territory lies midway between Beersheba and Ashkelon, bounded on the west by the Gaza Strip. The eastern border abuts Bnei Shimon...
. A mortar shell heavily damaged the Erez Crossing Terminal
Erez Crossing
The Erez Crossing is a pedestrian/cargo terminal on the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier. It is located in the northern end of the Gaza Strip, on the border with Israel.It is part of a complex formerly including the Erez Industrial Park....
. Israel responded with airstrikes on several targets in the Gaza Strip. The two Islamic Jihad militants who had launched the mortar attack on the Erez Crossing were killed by an airstrike as traveled on their motorbike in northern Gaza. On August 26, two Qassam rockets hit open areas in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council
Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council
The Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council , is a regional council in the north-western Negev, in Israel's Southern District. The Regional Council's territory lies midway between Beersheba and Ashkelon, bounded on the west by the Gaza Strip. The eastern border abuts Bnei Shimon...
, and a Grad rocket exploded near Ashkelon. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist organisation founded in 1967. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation Organization , the largest being Fatah...
claimed responsibility.
Egyptian protests
On August 21, 2011, media reported that the Egyptian authorities were recalling the Egyptian ambassador in Israel in response to the killing of five Egyptian security officers by Israeli soldiers after the attacks near Eilat. Egypt's foreign minister later stated that "at no point was there any intention on our part to recall our ambassador to Tel Aviv."Following the media reports about the killing of the Egyptian security officers, demonstrations against Israel erupted in Cairo outside the Israeli Embassy. The demonstrators threw fire crackers at the building, unfurled a Palestinian flag, and called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador in response to the killings. Eventually a young Egyptian, Ahmed Shahhat, climbed to the roof of the apartment building which houses the Israeli Embassy and removed the Israeli flag, replacing it with an Egyptian flag he had carried with him, becoming an instant folk hero in Egypt. The Israeli flag he had taken down was burned by protesters. During the demonstrations which continued for several days, thousands of protesters, shouting anti Israel slogans, called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, the recalling of Egyptian ambassador to Israel, a review of the Camp David Accords
Camp David Accords
The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978, following thirteen days of secret negotiations at Camp David. The two framework agreements were signed at the White House, and were witnessed by United States...
and the opening of the border with the Gaza Strip. But a demonstration on Friday, August 26, 2011, announced as "Million-man demonstration to expel the Israeli ambassador" held in Cairo outside the Israeli Embassy, only drew a few hundred protesters.
Israeli apology to Egypt
In October 2011, the New York Times reported that Israel had sent a letter of apology to Egypt for the killing of the Egyptian security officers by Israeli forces.Official reactions
Involved parties Israel:
- President Shimon PeresShimon PeresGCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
said "The series of severe terror events are an attempt by terror organizations to murder innocent civilians within Israel, and to disrupt our lives" - Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin NetanyahuBenjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
stated that this was a "serious incident in which Israeli citizens were hurt and the country's sovereignty was harmed." - Defense Minister Ehud BarakEhud BarakEhud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
stated "this is a grave terrorist incident in a number of locations. The incident reflects the weakness of Egypt's hold over Sinai and the spread of terrorist elements." He also blamed the attacks on GazaGazaGaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
ns and pledged that Israel will respond. "The source of the terror incidents is Gaza and we will act against them with all our strength and determination." He also expressed regret over the deaths of the Egyptian soldiers and ordered the IDF to conduct a military probe of the incident, and defense officials said it would likely be a joint probe with the participation of the Egyptian military.
Palestinian territories:
- Palestinian AuthorityPalestinian National AuthorityThe Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
Chief-negotiator Saeb ErekatSaeb ErekatSaeb Muhammad Salih Erekat Saeb Muhammad Salih Erekat Saeb Muhammad Salih Erekat (also Erakat; Ṣāʼib ʻUrayqāt or ʻRēqāt, born April 28, 1955 in Jordanian controlled East Jerusalem was the Palestinian chief of the PLO Steering and Monitoring Committee until 12 February 2011...
stated "Israel stands warned of any possible aggressive action or collective punishment measures against the Palestinian population in Gaza." Erekat stated that the Palestinian Authority is "against violence in all its forms," however, he added that such attacks should not be used by Israel as "a pretext for aggression." - HamasHamasHamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
denied responsibility for the attacks but praised the attacks "...since they were against soldiers." Hamas warned Israel not to attack the Gaza Strip, following a statement by Defense Minister Ehud Barak that the IDF would strike back at the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza following a deadly triple terror attack. Hamas evacuated its command centers and sent senior commanders into hiding in anticipation of an IDF response. - Popular Resistance Committee (PRC) spokesperson praised the attacks but said his group does not take any responsibility for launching it: "The occupation wants to pin this operation on us in order to escape its own internal problems."
- Tawheed and Jihad, an al-QaedaAl-QaedaAl-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
-linked group in the Gaza Strip, praised the attacks and said the "Jewish state should expect more." Over the internet, the group said "We in the Tawheed and Jihad group bless these blessed arms that pounded the fortifications of the vendetta-filled Jewish enemy in the so-called Eilat area in southern occupied Palestine."
Egypt:
- The Egyptian foreign ministry stated that "Egypt denounces the use of force against civilians in any circumstance and strongly advises Israel to immediately stop its military operations against Gaza".
Supranational – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
on Thursday strongly condemned the attack but called for restraint. According to a UN statement, "the secretary-general hopes that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice. He is concerned at the risk of escalation and calls for all to act with restraint." – EU Chief Catherine Ashton condemned the attacks, and said "I have learned with deep concern of the series of terrorist attacks that has taken place in Southern Israel today, including against civilian targets, and in which several Israelis are reported to have lost their lives and many more to have been injured. I condemn unreservedly all such acts of terror, extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in these attacks and express my wishes for a full and speedy recovery to the injured."
- The Middle East Quartet in a joint statement condemned the attacks and expressed concern "about the unsustainable situation in Gaza as well as the risk of escalation", and called for "restraint from all sides".
International – The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks, saying: "We express our sincere condolences to the relatives of all victims. We are convinced that violence and terrorism cannot bring peace to the Middle East. Such acts do not help the efforts of the international community to bring the participants in the Middle East peace process back to the negotiations table." – Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird
John Baird
John Baird may refer to:*John Baird , Canadian politician*John Baird *John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven , eighth Governor-General of Australia...
condemned the attacks, saying: “Canada condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks in southern Israel today. These cowardly attacks, particularly on civilian targets, are abhorrent and criminal. On behalf of all Canadians, I send my heartfelt condolences to those affected by today’s vicious attacks.” Furthermore, Baird said: "“Israel has a right to defend itself against such terrorist acts in conformity with international humanitarian law. Those responsible for these horrific attacks must be held accountable.” – The Ministry of Foreign Relations published an article condemning the attack, communicating its condolences to the people of Israel, specially to the victims and families of the murdered. The article stated that Costa Rica, as a peace loving country, respectful of all human rights, expresses its most energetic disapproval of any kind of violence or terrorist attacks, regardless of the motives behind it. – Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle [] is a German liberal politician, who, since 28 October 2009, has been serving as the Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and who was Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011. He is the first openly gay person to hold either of those positions...
also condemned the attacks saying: "At this difficult hour we stand by the side of our Israeli friends. Those responsible must be prosecuted. Terror and violence must not be allowed to torpedo peace and negotiation efforts in the Middle East." – Italian Foreign Affairs Minister, Franco Frattini, condemned the "barbaric" attacks on southern Israel and warned the international community to prevent more such attacks due to the unrest in the Arab world. He said: "I would like to express my condolences and closeness to the Israeli people and government for the loss of life in the barbaric attacks today." – The Dutch Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks "in the strongest terms." – Norwegian foreign minister Jonas Gahr Støre
Jonas Gahr Støre
Jonas Gahr Støre is the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, having been appointed to Jens Stoltenberg's second cabinet on 17 October 2005. He represents the Norwegian Labour Party.-Personal life:...
"condemned in the strongest possible terms" the acts of terror, adding that Norway condemns all use of terror – Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt
Alistair Burt
Alistair James Hendrie Burt is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for North East Bedfordshire...
said that "I condemn these appalling and senseless acts of violence. As efforts for peace in the region continue, this brutality has no place, nor its perpetrators any excuse. My thoughts and prayers are with those killed and injured and I offer sincere condolences to their families and friends." – The State Department condemned the attacks "in the strongest terms," calling the attack "brutal and cowardly." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said "We hope that those involved in the planning of these gruesome attacks will be brought to swift justice. We stand by Israel as our friend, partner, and ally – now and always." She also added that "This violence only underscores our strong concerns about the security situation in the Sinai Peninsula. Recent commitments by the Egyptian government to address the security situation in the Sinai are important and we urge the Egyptian government to find a lasting resolution." - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
Sergey Lavrov
Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov is the Foreign Minister of Russia. Prior to that, Lavrov was a Soviet diplomat and Russia's ambassador to the United Nations from 1994 to 2004. Lavrov speaks Russian, English, French and Sinhala....
spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman by telephone. Lavrov expressed his condolences over the terrorist attacks in southern Israel. He condemned this extremist act, and "reaffirmed the immutable position of Russia that there can be no justification for terror or for those who use it as means to achieve their ends". He also said that "despite the gravity of the crime, it is necessary to exercise restraint and to avoid retaliatory steps from which innocent people may suffer".
Impact
Following the attacks on Highway 12, Israel is reportedly to soon allow Egypt to deploy thousands of troops in the Sinai Peninsula in violation of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, in which both countries agreed that the Sinai Peninsula will be a military-free zone.Investigation
According to Haaretz, the IDF General Staff's investigation into the attack “was a source of great frustration”. An intelligence alert from the Shin Bet had led to a massive deployment of IDF troops in the area, but the forces' alertness had eroded, allowing the militants to track the IDF and choose their infiltration route. The decision not to close the road on the morning of the attack in spite of warnings from the Shin Beth is characterised as “understandable error of judgment, and definitely not a manifestation of carelessness”, whereas the appearance of the defense minister and the chief of staff at the scene of the incident while terrorists were still in the area is considered a serious security blunder that nearly culminated in another disaster.See also
- Heth routeHeth routeHeth route is the name given by the Israeli defense establishment to refer the route used by terrorists and smugglers to penetrate into Israel...
- Coastal Road massacreCoastal Road massacreThe Coastal Road massacre of 1978 was an attack involving the hijacking of a bus on Israel's Coastal Highway in which 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children, were killed, and 71 were wounded. The attack was planned by Abu Jihad and carried out by the PLO faction Fatah...
- Ma'ale Akrabim massacreMa'ale Akrabim massacreThe Ma'ale Akrabim massacre was an attack on an Israeli civilian passenger bus, carried out the night of 16–17 March 1954. Eleven passengers were shot dead by the attackers who ambushed and boarded the bus...
- 2011 Tel Aviv Nightclub attack2011 Tel Aviv nightclub attackThe 2011 Tel Aviv nightclub attack was a combined vehicle attack and stabbing attack carried out on 01:50 am August 29, 2011 in which a Palestinian attacker stole an Israeli taxi cab and rammed it into a police checkpoint guarding the popular Haoman 17 nightclub in Tel Aviv which was filled with...
- Israeli casualties of war
- Operation Eagle (Sinai)
External links
- Timeline of the Eilat triple terror attack – published on the Jerusalem Post on August 18, 2011
- 8 killed, over 30 wounded in terror attacks in southern Israel – published on the Israeli Foreign Ministry website on August 18, 2011