Israelis Kill Up to 9 in Gaza

September 26 from Jerusalem, up to nine Palestinians were killed in Gaza from military strikes of about 30 Israel rockets and shells. Israel has declared Gaza, controlled by Hamas as of June, hostile territory. In the West Bank, it was reported that previously, two Qassam rockets were found by Palestinian security and gave them back to the Israeli Army for inspection. This was a sign of trust after years of tension. General Tirawi claimed that the rockets were unarmed and unfinished, equipped without explosives so they could not have launched them if they tried. Up to five members of a small armed group, the Army of Islam, were killed in an airstrike in Gaza City, Palestinian officials and witnesses said. The others were citizens, from a shell that struck a house. The army spokeswoman said the air force had hit a vehicle carrying five “terror operatives with rockets ready to be launched.” The Hamas are now seen as a terrorist organization and Israel refuses to deal with them.


There is a long history of violence in Israel, being the Holy Land for the three major world religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Since the Crusades the land has been fought over, and eventually in 1917 the British declared Palestine as the "national home" for Jews in the Balfour Declaration. This caused much tension and led to quite a few wars like the Six Day War and the Israel War of Independence and hundreds of terrorist attacks. Therefore Israel has been forced to have a very solid military in order to fight off attacks from the long-time enemy nations that have surrounded them.