RAMALLAH: Bedouin citizens in Israel's Negev region might have assisted Hamas and Islamic Jihad during the last round of violence between Israeli military forces and the Gaza Strip, according to Israel's Hebrew news outlet Maariv. Elements within the Israeli security apparatus believe that Bedouins informed Hamas and other Gaza militant organizations where rockets landed in southern Israel, therefore aiding said militants in adjusting their rocket attacks accordingly and pinpointing intended targets, Maariv said. “In the course of the operation, there were many attempts by unauthorized elements to enter areas defined as closed military zones," an Israeli military spokesperson said. “They were detained and transferred to the Israel police and the security establishment." Sources estimate that over 1,500 rockets were fired into Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. At least two Israeli soldiers were killed by rocket fire from Gaza. Three Israeli civilians died from a direct rocket strike on a home in southern Israel. The fighting lasted 8 days and was put to an end by an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire. At least 170 Palestinians died as a result of Israeli airstrikes on densely populated parts of the Gaza Strip, and over a thousand were injured. Nearly a thousand homes were also damaged or destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, as were several mosques, schools, and media buildings.
