Hamas trains to launch rockets. (Photo: Abed Khatib/Flash90)
Hamas continues its preparations to attack Israel, working relentlessly to re-arm itself and develop new and better weapons.
Hamas fired two rockets from the Gaza Strip into the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday morning.
The rocket fire is suspected to be part of Hamas’ ongoing testing of its miltary capabilities, which it has been developing vigorously since its defeat by the IDF last summer.
In another recent incident just last week, a rocket was fired from Gaza into the sea.
Hamas faces difficulties in acquiring weapons of quality because Egypt established a large buffer zone on its border with Gaza and ruined its smuggling tunnels through the Sinai Peninsula.
Furthermore, Sudan, which has served as a relay point for arms on their way to Gaza in the past, has ceased to serve such a function.
As a result, Hamas is producing domestic-made rockets and has stepped up its launching tests, firing them into the sea.
“Hamas has returned to producing rockets at a faster pace than in the past, but they do not use standard materials or a proper assembly line and therefore are required to test their rockets,” an Israeli security official stated earlier this month.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyah with a “graduate” of a Hamas terror camp for children. (Photo: paldf.net)
Hamas was firing the rockets into the sea not only to test them, but also as a show of force, he added.
Last week an Israeli security official revealed that in January Israeli naval forces successfully intercepted a shipment of materials used for weapons production on its way to Gaza. Hamas was trying to smuggle liquid fiberglass, which is used to manufacture rockets and mortars.
Hamas has been working relentlessly to rearm itself and rebuild its army since Israel dealt it a strong blow during Operation Protective Edge.
Hamas and other Palestinian terror organizations fired some 5,000 rockets and over 1,500 mortar shells at Israeli civilian targets during the summer war.
The IDF announced during the operation that it had destroyed as much as 80% of Hamas’ rocket stockpiles, but the group is working to rebuild its arsenal, preparing for its next attack on Israel.
By: World Israel News Staff