A Palestinian grandmother blew herself up in the Gaza Strip, lightly wounding three Israeli soldiers, in the first suicide attack claimed by Hamas in almost two years. The mother of nine and grandmother of 41 became the oldest Palestinian suicide bomber at the age of 57, approaching troops operating to curb daily rocket attacks, the army said. "Troops saw a woman approaching them in a suspicious manner and identified her carrying an explosive device," a spokeswoman said of the incident in the northern town of Jabaliya. "They then threw a stun grenade in her direction but she managed to blow herself up," the spokeswoman said, adding that three soldiers were lightly hurt. | J Post sez the nasty old bitch was 68... |
The bloody operation came two weeks after the radical faction threatened to resume suicide bombings in response to a botched Israeli shelling in the Gaza town of Beit Hanun that left 19 Palestinians, mostly women and children, dead. Another seven Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the northern part of the volatile territory Thursday, as Gaza militants launched seven rockets into the Jewish state, one of which struck a house in a southern kibbutz.
Relatives said Najar had seven sons and two daughters, plus some 41 grandchildren, and that they were proud of her "martyrdom", which daughter Azhar said was a direct response to the Beit Hanun shelling. "She did this operation in response to the Beit Hanun massacre. She was very moved by what happened," said Azhar, speaking from home in Jabaliya where relatives came to congratulate Najar's nearest and dearest. Azhar also said her mother had taken part in a daring rescue operation, staged by Palestinian mothers and wives, who acted as human shields to free more than a dozen gunmen holed up in a Beit Hanun mosque on November 3.
Are you thinking what I am thinking?
Zuheir, Najar's 20-year-old son, told AFP from the family home: "We are really happy. It's a big operation. She told us last night that she would do a suicide operation. She prepared her clothes for that operation and we are proud.
Are you thinking what I am thinking?
"'I don't want anything, only to die a martyr.' That's what she said."
Oh, and she also asked "Does this suicide vest make me look fat?"
Faced with Hamas rocket attacks, Israeli ministers only Wednesday authorized more operations against the Islamists, following a sweeping campaign of arrests and bombings begun in late June after the group abducted a soldier. Hamas heads the Western-boycotted Palestinian government, whose armed wing has claimed two recent deadly rocket attacks on Israel, and which has withstood massive pressure to recognize Israel and formally renounce violence. Najar was the second Palestinian woman to blow herself up in the northern Gaza this month, following a November 6 attack claimed by Islamic Jihad.
The seven Palestinians, including at least four militants, were killed and seven Israeli soldiers wounded Thursday, as the military pressed a ground and air assault to curb the constant menace of rocket fire. Three of the militants were from the radical Popular Resistance Committees, one of three groups to claim the June 25 capture of the Israeli soldier, and died in an air strike against their car in Beit Hanun.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike against militants wanted in connection with rocket attacks and anti-tank fire. One Palestinian was killed as Israeli artillery fired in response to the suicide attack, and three others, including a militant from the radical Islamic Jihad movement, were killed by ground fire.
Rocket attacks have become a near daily event since Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 after a 38-year occupation, frequently inaccurate but managing to kill two civilians in the past eight days. Israel has openly admitted being unable to completely stop the rocket fire, and more than 300 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the military launched a massive counter-offensive in late June.
If they only used artillery, they could probably lower it to 1:1000 or better.