A new sculpture was unveiled in the heart of Gaza City, Gaza on Monday, March 10th. What does this have to do with the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians? There is nothing remarkable about that in itself. Cities the world over install works of art in their public squares all the time.
What sets apart the monument in Gaza City is that it is a life-size model of a M75 rocket—a type of weapon 
that was frequently fired from Gaza into populated areas of Israel during the conflict that erupted back in the autumn of 2012. Indeed, M75s struck areas around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
This new monument was erected to honor Qassam Brigades' founding member Ibrahim al-Maqadma, who was killed by Israeli Defense Forces in 2003.
Speaking of missiles in Gaza, only days earlier, the Israeli Navy intercepted a shipment of even more powerful missiles headed for the hands of terrorist organizations in Gaza.
As news organizations around the world reported, IDF forces, operating on tips from intelligence sources, boarded a Panamanian-flagged vessel and discovered a large cache of long-range missiles and other weapons.
According to The Jerusalem Post, a special raid directly overseen by IDF Chief Lt. General Benny Gantz, “Operation Discovery” took place in the Red Sea 1,500 kilometers away from Israel and roughly 150 kilometers from Port Sudan. Missile ships and navy commandos from the Flotilla 13 unit raided the Klos-C cargo ship and discovered the M-302 rockets.
According to military intelligence assessments, the rockets originated in Syria. Ultimately intended to add fuel to the ongoing strife between Israelis and Palestinians, it is believed that Iran flew the rockets from Syria to an Iranian airfield, trucked them to the seaport of Bander Abbas, and shipped them to Iraq, where they were hidden in cement sacks. The ship then set sail for Port Sudan, near the Sudanese-Eritrean border.
The rockets would have been unloaded at Port Sudan and taken overland through Egypt into Sinai, and through smuggling tunnels into the Gaza Strip. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon told the press, “This is the same known land route that the Iranians have been using to smuggle arms to Gaza.”
Had the shipment not been intercepted, literally millions of Israeli citizens would have been easy targets for these powerful missiles.
Smaller attacks on Israel from Gaza have been occurring for a number of days and on Wednesday border communities in Israel were hit with over 30 rockets fired from Gaza. The Islamic Jihad group has claimed responsibility, evidently reacting to an exchange of weapons fire on Tuesday which was initiated from Gaza with a mortar shell fired on IDF forces running routine border operations. Israel responded to Wednesday’s volley of rockets with military air strikes on two infrastructure targets of the terrorists within the Gaza Strip.
This incident and the new monument in Gaza City both serve as stark reminders of why Israel must remain vigilant and assertive in defending herself. Even so, many in the media and at the highest levels of government continue to portray Israel as the primary obstacle to peace and harmony on the Middle East.
That’s why the mission of Jewish Voice is more important than ever. With the help of friends like you, we’re using every communication medium available to speak the truth about Israel and rally support.
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