Terror Infrastructure

"Alongside the deep mourning, we remain determined to bring down an iron fist on the criminal terrorists. Our war against terror will only grow and not weaken so that the murderous terrorists will not dare to raise their heads. At this difficult hour, I warmly embrace and strengthen the hands of the mothers, the wonderful fathers and family members of Naftali, Gilad and Eyal."
"What we feared has come to pass. Our fear was deep but we carried in our hearts the hope that even murderous terrorists would spare the teens."
Israeli President Shimon Peres

"The kidnapping and murder of innocent boys under cover of night is a despicable and unforgivable crime. There is no justification or excuse, and I am convinced that the long arms of the security forces will reach the murderers."
Labour Party head Isaac Herzog

"If the occupiers carry out an escalation or a war, they will open the gates of hell on themselves."
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri

A week ago Hamas declared they were embarking on the third intifada. Up until then, they had sought to deter other Islamist groups from launching rockets across the border from Gaza into Israel. Emboldened by the embrace of Fatah in a new unity government, Hamas may feel it has used its time well enough to stock sufficient arms to once again engage the IDF. After the last engagement brought forward by rocket-provocation, Qatar was kind enough to fund Hamas to replace its lost arms.

And while the abduction and murder of the three Israeli teens may not have been the result of a Hamas intrigue, it was two identified members of Hamas who carried out the crime. They fled directly after the kidnapping, but evidently not before the three teens were shot by them. Shortly after the abduction Hamas issued an official statement of congratulation to the kidnappers -- whose identity they claimed they were unaware of -- for a job well done.

And now that Israeli sorrow and rage have reached equal proportions Hamas leaders have gone underground.

An IDF ambulance was attacked as it transported the bodies of the three Israeli teens who were abducted and killed. Photo: Facebook.

Palestinian Arabs have been swift to demonstrate the level of their sympathy for the murder of the three Jewish teens. They attacked an Israeli Defence Forces ambulance humvee transporting the bodies of the three who had been discovered in a field, bound, and long dead, their lifeless bodies covered with stones. Palestinians excel at either throwing stones at Israeli Jews or covering their bodies with them in death.

The image of the damaged vehicle was posted on Facebook on the Muqata blog with the legend: "8:44pm IDF Ambulance humvee transporting the bodies of the boys attacked by arabs . . . . windows smashed." This is an incident which the IDF has chosen to neither confirm nor deny. What was confirmed beyond doubt was that the bodies of Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frankel were found, following weeks of frantic searches for them in the hope, ever dimming, they would still be alive.

Israeli soldiers are seen in the Palestinian village of Halhul where the bodies of three Jewish teenagers — Eyal Yifrach, Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Shaar — were found in a nearby field, June 30, 2014. (Nati Shohat/Flash 90)

Even while the army carried out its search for the three abducted teens, it was carrying out a wide-ranging operation against Hamas in response to its increase in rockets launched from Gaza. A dozen locations in Gaza were targeted on Sunday and they included concealed rocket launchers, weapons manufacturing sites, and "terror activity" sites; those airstrikes retaliatory for the six rockets that struck the night before, two of which hit a paint factory in the town of Sderot.

An Israeli airstrike on Friday killed two Palestinian Tawhid Brigades members, according to Palestinian security officials and group members. Over 60 rockets have been launched from Gaza toward Israel in the month of June. Battling Islamists wherever they pose a threat, Israeli Prime Minister Benamin Netanyah has sought authority to outlaw a Muslim group within Israel which had issued calls for the abduction of Israeli soldiers during a demonstration in an Arab-Israeli town.

"In many cases, those behind such calls and demonstrations are from the northern branch of the Islamic Movement. It constantly preaches against the State of Israel and its people publicly identify with terrorist organization such as Hamas", stated the prime minister. The movement's leader, Raed Salah, has been arrested previously, was banned from Jerusalem, and has been accused of incitement. The man has called for a third intifada against Israel.

A Jewish tourist from Germany covers her face as she walks in a paint factory damaged by Saturday's rockets fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip, in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, Sunday, June 29, 2014. Israel carried out airstrikes on militant targets in the Gaza Strip early Sunday after a rocket attack, the military said, as the country's foreign minister suggested it consider reoccupying the Hamas-ruled territory to stop the increasing rocket fire. The airstrikes were in retaliation for six rockets from Gaza that struck Israel the previous evening. Two of the rockets hit the factory in Sderot, setting it ablaze. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)