Israeli warplanes violate ceasefire, raid Gaza anew

The Israeli occupation forces violated the unilateral ceasefire they had declared after their defeat in the Gaza Strip last month, and shelled a police headquarters in Al-Mughraqa area in central Gaza Strip, and the borders with Egypt.

Police major Islam Shahwan, the spokesman of the PA police in Gaza Strip, asserted that F-16 Israeli warplanes raided the police office at a late hour on Sunday night but no casualties were reported “because we had evacuated the premises prior to the raid as a precautionary measure”.

More Israeli air strikes were carried out against suspected tunnels used by the Palestinians to bring food and basic supplies to the devastated Strip from Egypt.

According to Palestinian security sources, Israeli warplanes unleashed at least six missiles near the Salahuddin Gate and Al-Salam suburb in Rafah region, but no casualties were reported in the attack.

The area was badly hit with Israeli missiles and tank shells during the war on Gaza last month, leading to the destruction of more than 150 Palestinian homes near the borders.

Shahwan, however, made it clear that the Israeli aggression on the Strip wouldn’t succeed in jeopardizing the work of the PA police in keeping security and order in the heavily populated Strip.

For their part, Israeli political and military analysts opined that the Israeli occupation government failed to achieve any tangible goals of the war on Gaza, adding that signing a truce with Hamas Movement would lead to breaking the economic siege and continuing smuggling of weapons through the borders with Egypt.

According to Israeli political writer Yakoub Amidour, Hamas Movement has succeeded in achieving big objectives out of the war on Gaza, including the international recognition of the Movement”s legitimacy.

He blamed the Israeli occupation government for halting the attacks on Gaza, saying that Israel had wasted a golden chance to finish off Hamas. “The war ended with no clear results”, said Amidour in an article in the Hebrew Israel Today newspaper.

The writer also warned that the call of Toni Blair, the representative of the Quartet Committee, to involve Hamas in the peace process would enhance Hamas”s position as a strong player in the region.

On Monday, Palestinian medical sources announced the martyrdom of Palestinian citizen Mohammed Fayez Al-Sawafiri after he succumbed to wounds he sustained in an Israeli air strike at Al-Zaitun suburb, south of Gaza city, last month.

The Israeli occupation army used internationally-banned bombs in its war on Gaza that started on December, 27, 2008, leading to the killing of more than 1340 Palestinians, the bulk of them were children and women. More than 5500 Palestinians were also wounded in that monstrous war.