Gaza Clashes: Fear of Broader Conflict Between Israel and Hamas

There was a second day of violence, Wednesday, on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Israel says it will do whatever it takes to halt rocket and mortar attacks, and did not rule out a ground attack.

For its part, Israel has carried out air strikes, killing at least four men it says were militants.

Israel is also criticizing a visit to Gaza by the Emir of Qatar, a US ally.

It’s the first visit to Gaza by a head of state since Hamas seized power in 2007.

The World’s Middle East correspondent, Matthew Bell, says Qatar is seeking to gain influence and credibility with other Arab populations.

But Israel says the Emir’s visit is emboldening Hamas.

“All the experts say neither Israel, not Hamas, wants to go to war,” says Bell.

But things could easily slip out of control.

“If one of these rockets hits a hospital or a school,” says Bell, “and kills a bunch of people, then all bets are off.”

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Marco Werman: I’m Marco Werman. This is The World. As if the Middle East wasn’t seeing enough turmoil, tensions are flaring again between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Dozens of rockets and bombs have been fired from Gaza into southern Israel over the past two days, damaging several homes. Israel for its part has carried out air strikes in Gaza and says it will do whatever it takes to halt the attacks. Amidst all this, the Emir of Qatar, a US ally, yesterday became the first head of state to visit Gaza since Hamas seized control in 2007. The World’s Middle East correspondent is Matthew Bell. He’s in Jerusalem. Now there have been rounds of clashes before, Matthew. How unusual is it that Hamas is now saying openly that it’s attacking Israel?

Matthew Bell: That is something new, Marco, and the militant wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, issued a statement today saying that at least one of their militants was killed in recent days in an Israeli strike and that they participated in launching rockets at southern Israel in response.

Werman: Right, so how serious could this get? Is this some kind of watershed moment?

Bell: This is the thing, is it’s been going on for years like this, flaring up and then quieting down. And the understanding, the experts will all tell you, is that neither Israel nor Hamas wants to go to war. However, this dangerous dance that these two powers have been engaged in for all this time, there’s always the possibility of unintended consequences, if you will, of war breaking out. I wasn’t down in southern Israel today but I’ve been there before after these rockets and mortars have landed. It’s scary stuff, you know. Houses are destroyed, people have been killed in the past. The Israelis say look, if one of these things hits a hospital or a school, kills a bunch of people, all bets are off. It’s going to change the whole situation.

Werman: This new round of shelling hasn’t had any unintended consequences yet but it does happen against this backdrop, this story, of the Emir of Qatar going to Gaza. Why was he there? What did he say, what’s he doing there?

Bell: I think the Qataris want to show their influence. For a small country with lots of money, they want to show that they have political influence in the region. Qatar is an interesting actor because it has a relationship with the United States, the Fifth Fleet is there. There have also been pretty good lower level relations with Israel itself. But Qatar wants to have credibility in the Arab world and one way of getting it is to demonstrate a relationship and support in Gaza. There’s some speculation here in Israel, Marco, that the emir’s visit and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood next door in Egypt, have made Hamas more bold to perhaps launch more strikes, or to allow other militant groups to launch strikes against Israel. Again, there’s that possibility that things could get really bad, really violent, very quickly here.

Werman: The World’s Matthew Bell speaking with us from Jerusalem. Thank you so much.

Bell: Thank you, Marco.

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