Qassam Fires Rocket At Israel's Ben Gurion Airport

The Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian resistance faction Hamas, fired a home-made rocket at Israel's Ben Gurion airport on Thursday.



In a statement, the brigades said that its fighters had fired an M75 rocket at the airport, located some 15km southeast of Tel Aviv.



The move came one day after a Hamas spokesman called on international airline carriers to halt all flights to the airport as of Thursday to avoid being struck by incoming rockets.



According to Israeli radio, scores of flights to the airport have been rescheduled for "security reasons."



Violence flared again Tuesday following the collapse of Egypt-hosted indirect talks aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire deal, with Israel accusing Palestinian resistance factions of violating a temporary truce with a rocket barrage.



The claim was denied by Hamas, however, which in turn accused Israel of attempting to derail ceasefire talks in Cairo.



Since hostilities began on July 7, at least 2064 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip – the vast majority of them civilians – and more than 10,000 injured in relentless Israeli attacks, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.



According to Israeli figures, meanwhile, at least 67 Israelis have been killed: 64 soldiers in ground operations inside the Gaza Strip and three civilians by Palestinian rocket fire.



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.



By Ola Attalah



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Gazze