Qassam says fired rockets at Israel's Ben Gurion airport

By Ola Attalah

GAZA CITY

The Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian resistance faction Hamas, has said that it fired two home-made rockets at Israel's Ben Gurion airport on Saturday.

In a statement, the Brigades said its fighters had fired two M75 rockets at the airport, which is located some 15 kilometers southeast of Tel Aviv.

The Israeli army is yet to comment of the group's assertion.

On Wednesday, a Hamas spokesman warned international airline carriers to halt all flights to the airport as of Thursday to avoid being struck by incoming rockets.

Violence flared up again on Tuesday between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip following the collapse of indirect, Egypt-hosted talks aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire deal.

Israel accused Palestinian factions of violating a temporary ceasefire (which expired on midnight Tuesday) – a claim denied by resistance faction Hamas, which in turn accused the self-proclaimed Jewish state of attempting to derail the talks in Cairo.

Since hostilities began on July 7, at least 2100 Palestinians have been killed – the vast majority of them civilians – and more than 10,000 injured by Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip.

Thousands of homes in Gaza, meanwhile, have been destroyed by relentless Israeli bombardments.

Over the same period, at least 68 Israelis – 64 soldiers and four civilians – have been killed, according to Israeli figures.

Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has reeled under a crippling Israeli blockade that has taken an enormous toll on the coastal territory's economy and played havoc with residents' livelihoods.

www.aa.com.tr/en