Tired of the day-to-day grind of attacking Israelis, a Hamas “holy mission” was carried out today in Gaza with satisfying effects, according to a Hamas spokesman.

Two members of the violent terrorist organization were killed in a self-inflicted detonation, according to Palestinian medical personnel on the scene.

I believe they are only attempting to level the playing field, said Dr. Moaiya Hassanain, a Palestinian Health Ministry official, who confirmed the deaths.

The source close to the Hamas leadership indicated that the self-detonation of explosives is a strategic move to bring the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators closer to a resolution on a possible peace initiative.

See, we also kill ourselves! We’re not so bad as everyone says. This terrorist thing is a gross mis-perception.

The Hamas source did express some frustration however regarding the kinds of holy warriors being run through the training camps these days.

We only get mentally disabled recruits these days. I miss the days when we could depend on having recruits who did not prematurely detonate their explosives, not - of course - that this is what happened in this instance. It is only that these new holy warriors tend to become martyrs more quickly than in the old days, or they become prisoners of the Zionist Entity because they are too stupid to understand how to hate our enemy! Not that we hate the Zionist Entity - that’s just a figure of speech. You know, like Jeremiah Wright does.

Due to Hamas security procedures, it is not clear whether the detonations were of Qassam rockets, explosive vests, or the manipulation of Chinese and Russian artillery shells for IEDs. But witnesses in the area did say it was a much smaller boom than they have seen on attacks shown on Israeli TV.

Have you heard the one about the diplomats from 47 countries who walk into a conference room?

The United Nations Human Rights Council condemned Israel for their latest incursion into Gaza by passing a resolution declaring Israel’s aggressive actions against the terrorists in Gaza a means of collective punishment against all Palestinians.

The punch line in this joke is the resolution was introduced by Pakistan - you know that country the US provides a great deal of aid and support to? - and other “Muslim” nations. The vote to pass the resolution was 33-1 (with 13 countries abstaining) with Canada casting the only “No” vote.

Well, I take back every unflattering thing I have ever said about Canada. They seem to be the only one’s with either any sense or any spine.

A 47 year old father of 4 was killed in Sderot when one of 30 Qassam rockets struck near him in the parking lot of Sapir College.

Kfir Waldman, a communications student, told Army Radio: “I was at the radio station when the missiles fell. I saw the ambulances arrive. They tried to save his life, but it was clear to all of us standing around that it was too late.”

The college, which has remained open throughout the bombardments, told the students to go home for two days and cancelled classes. At least one missile landed further afield, in the compound of the Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, where some of those lightly wounded in the bombings were taken.

The military were especially concerned that al-Fajr missiles had apparently been used to target a hospital, a major escalation.

To me the issue is clear - No Peace, No Consideration.

Palestinians need to fear the drastic measures being considered as a result of Hamas’ actions.

You have Hamas and Fatah battling in the streets. Crime is more rampant between Palestinians  today than ever. Food shortages are the norm now. Access to medical care has become limited. These things are not the fault of Israel. These things are wholly own subsidiaries of Hamas activities.

What Palestinians should fear is Israel thinking this is their only resort for security. The question is, “Should we retake Gaza?”

The average Israeli goes to sleep these days as his lips whisper a prayer, and with great hope in his heart: To wake up in the morning and hear that the IDF has reoccupied the Gaza Strip, and “Sderot experienced its first quiet night.”

Admittedly, there are reasons offered for and against retaking Gaza, but the point I make is Hamas offers Israel very little choice except military action to solve the problem of security for Israel. Palestinians should be very afraid of that - although Israel is likely to be a much better benefactor than Hamas has been.  The question is why should the Palestinians suffer because of Hamas?

The next generation of Islamists is trained to hate. Once they have been taught to hate, they are taught how to resolve their hate.

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Imagine.

Terrorists, operating out of the Gaza Strip, fired rockets into an Israeli kibbutz, wounding a 3-year-old girl.

A report released by the Israeli army on Sunday revealed that with recent improvements in Palestinian rocket technology, some 190,000 Israeli civilians now live under direct threat of artillery attacks from Gaza.

Here is a little background on the Qassam rockets.

Qassam rockets are named after the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed branch of Hamas, itself named after an Islamic Mojahed and fighter Izz ad-Din al-Qassam who led a Palestinian fighters group during the 1930s. According to Hamas, the Qassam rocket was first developed by Nidal Fat’hi Rabah Farahat and Mohamed Khaled and produced under the direction of Adnan al-Ghoul, the “Father of the Qassam”, who was assassinated by the Israeli army on October 22, 2004.

Qassams were first fired at Israeli civilian targets in October 2001.The first Qassam to land in Israeli territory was launched on February 10, 2002. The first time an Israeli city was hit was on March 5, 2002, when two rockets struck Sderot. Some rockets have hit as far as the edge of Ashkelon. The total number of Qassam rockets launched exceeded 1000 by June 9, 2006. During the year 2006 alone, 1000+ rockets were launched.

Israel is justifiably concerned about Egypt opening a border crossing from Gaza to allow pilgrimages to Muslim religious sites.

Israel has protested to Egypt over the opening of a border crossing to allow Muslim pilgrims from Gaza to make their way through Egypt to Saudi Arabia.

The Israelis say they are concerned that militants may leave Gaza and go for training in Iran.

Gaza has been largely sealed off since June, when Hamas took control in Gaza. Some 2,000 Palestinians are said to have left Gaza via Rafah since Monday.

The Rafah crossing is the only exit from Gaza that bypasses Israel.

Training in Iran is one reason, but this is another:

Egyptian police confiscated 500 kg (1,100 lb) of explosives in northern Sinai on Wednesday which were probably destined for Gaza, a security official said.

Police found the TNT in 12 plastic bags hidden in mountains near to Rafah on Egypt’s borders with the Gaza Strip. They said smugglers were likely trying to move the explosives across the nearby border.

Twenty-one rockets were fired into Israel today by Palestinian armed forces in the Gaze Strip today, injuring thre. Five others were treated for shock.

The two Palestinians killed belonged to the Islamic Jihad group, which said in a statement to reporters in Gaza that it launched most of the rockets. The IDF took responsibility for one death, saying troops shot an armed man, while saying the second victim may have been killed by a stray rocket.

Negotiators for Israel and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas held talks in Jerusalem today aimed at a peace agreement and creating a Palestinian state. Gaza is controlled by the Hamas movement, Abbas’s rival, which opposes talks and calls for the destruction of the Jewish state.