Update: Israeli Government Confirms No Hamas Rockets 19 June-4 November 2008

On Thursday, we reported on the Israeli Government's distribution to foreign journalists of a document which said that 1) only 20 rockets were fired into southern Israel in the cease-fire period between 19 June and 4 November 2008 and 2) those rockets were fired by "splinter groups" rather than Hamas.

Now, thanks to our reader Mae, we have located the original report, which comes from the Intelligence and Terrorism Center. In December 2008, they summarised "The Six Months of the Lull Arrangement":

The lull was sporadically violated by rocket and mortar shell fire, carried out by rogue terrorist organizations, in some instance in defiance of Hamas (especially by Fatah and Al-Qaeda supporters). Hamas was careful to maintain the ceasefire....Between June 19 and November 4, 20 rockets (three of which fell inside the Gaza Strip) and 18 mortar shells (five of which fell inside the Gaza Strip) were fired at Israel.

So why did rocket fire from Hamas resume?

On November 4 the IDF carried out a military action close to the border security fence on the Gazan side to prevent an abduction planned by Hamas, which had dug a tunnel under the fence to that purpose. Seven Hamas terrorist operatives were killed during the action. In retaliation, Hamas and the other terrorist organizations attacked Israel with a massive barrage of rockets. Since then, 191 rockets and 138 mortar shells have been fired.

Gaza: Israeli Government Document Says Hamas Did Not Fire Rockets From June to November 2008

UPDATE: I have checked the English-language website of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. I cannot find the specific Government briefing cited by Channel 4, but the ITIC's reports --- to be precise --- indicate few rocket attacks between the cease-fire on 19 June and 4 November (what it calls the "lull"). These are the key lines in the update of 16 November: "Another important facet of the recent escalation is that for the first time, there is direct Hamas involvement in the rocket and mortar shell fire....At the same time, Hamas heads and spokesmen publicly stated that their intention was not to end the lull arrangement but to provide “an equal response” to what they call the “Israeli violations."

I've just heard once more, this time from Jerusalem Post editor David Horowitz on CNN, that the catalyst for the current conflict in Gaza was the firing of rockets into southern Israel by Hamas.

We've already out the official release from the Israeli Government that undermines this assertion: only 11 rockets were fired between July and October 2008, with the escalation taking place after an Israeli raid killing six Hamas activists on 4 November. Channel 4 in Britain has gone even farther, however, with an Israeli Government that says Hamas fired no rockets between June and November 2008.



Questioning former Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, who claimed "even during the cease-fire, Hamas was firing rockets on a daily basis", Channel 4's anchorwoman pulled out an Israeli Government briefing: "Hamas was careful to maintain the cease-fire. Rockets were fired, but they were from splinter terrorist organisations." Although Shalom insisted on sticking to his script of Hamas targeting "women and children", the anchorwoman did not concede:

ANCHORWOMAN: This document is published by the Intelligence and Terrorist Information Center at the Israel Intelligence and Heritage Commemoration Center and they say Hamas maintained the cease-fire.

SHALOM: It's not the Government.

ANCHORWOMAN: But it's given to foreign journalists by the Government as a statement of the facts.

SHALOM: Listen, you like to hear the facts or you like to invent something?....My mother lives there. I know if they were firing or not.

And there was still one more twist. Israeli spokesman Mark Regev confirmed that Channel 4's document was genuine. "Between June and November 2008, only 20 rockets were fired, "and these were fired by organisations other than Hamas".