Current News Blog

Israel’s military is claiming that Hamas has a new rocket capable of reaching Tel Aviv and other Israeli population centers. Hamas apparently test-fired their new rocket, believed to be Iranian-made, out into the sea. Hamas denies having a new rocket, saying Israel is trying to turn world opinion against them.

Most of the rockets fired from the Gaza Strip are very short range and have notoriously unreliable aim. Collective Journalism contributor Zouheir al-Najjar had incredible access to a militant group constructing rockets – and they walked him through how they’re made. As you’ll see at the end of the video – the rockets aren’t very precise weapons.

Gaza Rockets (Video)

On the other side of the fence, Israelis in the city of Sderot live in constant siege from the haphazard firing of these unpredictable rockets. The rockets can’t hit specific targets but their unpredictability makes them more of a menace to the civilian population.

City in the Crosshairs (Video)

If Hamas does have this new rocket that Israel claims it does – then the fear is that many more cities would become like Sderot, living in constant fear of wanton rocket fire. Of course the other question will be how many rockets could Hamas get its hands on. They are, after all, under an extensive blockade with just a trickle of supplies coming through their tunnels. Blogger Ibn Larry has a great write-up of the tunnels and blockades – and gives us a shout out as well (thanks!).

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Der Spiegel has a great story of a Palestinian couple, he in Gaza and she in the West Bank, who came together despite the blockade and travel restrictions. How? The bride crawled through a smugglers’ tunnel out of Egypt.

When Mohammed Warda first took his bride in his arms she looked “as if she had just stepped out of a grave that was filled with earth.” He had spent an hour sitting nervously by a big hole in the ground in the Gaza Strip, while May crawled backwards through the tunnel, keeping her eyes closed because of the sand that trickled from the roof. Her groom had to pay $1,500 (€1,021) for her to be smuggled through a tunnel from the Egyptian side of the border to the Gaza Strip. And 23-year-old May knew the whole time that the risky undertaking could cost her her life.

These tunnels serve in many ways as a lifeline for Gazans to the rest of the world, providing them with many valuable supplies that the Israeli blockade won’t let through. They’re also used to smuggle weapons to resistance groups. Zouheir al-Najjar a Gazan and contributor to Collective Journalism made the journey himself.

Gaza Tunnels (Video)

Also from Zouheir al-Najjar:
– Gaza Rockets – Exclusive footage of the bomb-making process of the Palestinian resistance
– Visas Out of Gaza – Palestinians looking to escape Gaza often wait months or years to get clearance to leave