Straight from the press office of the Israeli Embassy:

Following continuous launchings of rockets into Israel and other terrorist activities executed by Hamas and other terror organizations, the IDF carried out during the day four aerial attacks against terrorists in Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip:

• A Hamas terrorist headquarters
• A vehicle carrying a Hamas terrorist cell responsible for manufacturing and delivering weaponry
• A structure used by Hamas terrorists
• A Palestinian terrorist, immediately after launching rockets into Israel

Additionally, the IDF carried out an aerial attack against a rocket launching cell after it fired rockets from the southern Gaza Strip into the western Negev.

More than 80 Qassam rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel over the past three days.

The IDF will continue to operate against the terror organizations in order to ensure the security and safety of all the citizens of Israel.

And the death toll for the above operations: Four dead. Feh. At this rate it will take forever to clean out the terrorists.

However, there is at least some forward motion in stopping the barrages on Sderot.

It was an extremely productive day. I have the loaner computer (which I’m not writing this on, as I chickened out on sending out my computer today). I had two good meetings, both informative and worthwhile. I picked up some kosher meat from Trader Joe’s in Old Town. And then I got hit on while gassing up at my favorite rest stop.

Just when I was starting to think I was getting too old to be noticed, a guy probably at least ten years younger hit on me. Not that I’d ever date a guy I met at a gas station, but still—it was nice to be noticed.

I’m guessing, though, that he never quite got an answer like mine to “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“I’m going to synagogue,” I said.

“Oh.”

“Bye.”

Posting will resume as soon as I’ve had dinner.

The ruling party of the Palestinian government announced that they will murder civilians inside Israel.

Earlier Thursday, IDF forces sent several tanks into the northern Gaza Strip near the town of Beit Lahiya. The tanks are several hundred meters inside the security fence, providing the IDF an additional means to battle Qassam rocket fire in the area.

This is the first time that IDF tanks have entered Gaza since the ceasefire took effect six months ago.

For the first time in many months, the military branch of Hamas has announced that it would respond to Israel’s attacks with suicide attacks inside Israel.

Hamas is the democratically elected government of the Palestinians. Suicide attacks are war crimes. Members of Hamas don’t wipe their asses without permission from their superiors. If they manage to pull one off, it will be with the explicit permission of Khalid Mashaal and Ismail Haniyeh, and let us not pretend otherwise.

Not that I expect the world to do anything other than tsk-tsk and warn Israel to “excercise restraint” if Hamas is successful.

It is with great trepidation that I am shutting down the computer, removing my HD, and shipping this system off to HP.

I did a full backup (and verified it). I wrote down the passwords I’ll need.

I’m just worried about Murphy’s Law.

On my way to northern VA to pick up a loaner for the week. If you don’t hear from me, you’ll know why.

And the world continues to ignore it.

A high school in the Negev was directly hit by a Qassam rocket Thursday. Two people were lightly wounded in the attack, and several others suffered from shock.

The rocket landed on an unfortified classroom, which was empty at the time. Students who were at the school were ordered to remain in the fortified classrooms.

Head of the Shaar Hanegev local council Alon Shuster said that there were still a few classrooms in the school which had not been fortified. “Only the students that had to take their matriculation exams came to school today, and they were placed in fortified classrooms,” he stated.

Earlier Thursday, three Qassam rockets landed in Sderot. One of the rockets exploded near a building in town, slightly damaging the structure. A mother and her nine-year-old daughter suffered from shock.

What other nation has to fortify its schools to protect its children against rocket attacks?

Meantime, Israel is hitting Hamas, and the AP is doing its thing. It focuses attention on the Israeli attacks, and buries details like this:

Gunfire erupted at a Hamas funeral procession earlier Thursday, killing two people and wounding 14 others, Palestinian medical officials said. It was unclear who fired the bullets, but the unrest threatened to unravel a lull in the fighting.

Meanwhile, Hamas said one of its men was kidnapped and executed by security forces loyal to the rival Fatah movement.

The funeral was for two Hamas fighters killed during the latest wave of Palestinian factional violence. Witnesses said members of the procession were firing their weapons into the air a common practice at Palestinian funerals when unknown assailants began shooting at them.

And really buries facts like this, which should be the subject of a separate story:

A total of 22 people were killed on Wednesday, as gunfire and explosions raged across Gaza City in the most widespread fighting in nearly a year of clashes between Hamas and Fatah.

Raging street battles have turned the densely populated seaside city into a war zone, putting terrified civilians increasingly at risk. During the fighting, masked gunmen took over otherwise deserted streets, trapping frightening residents in their homes.

But then, they can’t blame the Jews for that. Well, they can, and they will—Gaza is all Israel’s fault, you see, even though Egypt washed its hands of Gaza—thankfully—in 1967. Now it’s just a handy stick used to beat Israel.

And the march to Gazastan continues.