(KUNA) -- The Israel army has changed its rules of engagement along the Israel-Gaza border allowing its forces to open fire at positively identified Palestinian militants preparing to launch missile attacks, Haaretz newspaper reported Tuesday.The paper said, on its English page, that the decision came after two Qassam rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip towards Israel yesterday despite the truce between the two sides. The missiles, the first to be launched in over 24 hours, did not cause any injuries. One landed in Palestinian territories, and the second hit an open area in the western Negev. Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the military arm of Fatah, claimed responsibility.
The paper quoted security sources as saying that the group appears to be an independent offshoot of Fatah, and that the Palestinian Authority's leadership and security forces are making a noticeable effort to prevent rocket fire. "When the cease-fire first took effect, Sunday morning, forces were strictly forbidden from firing. Thus when seven militants were seen launching a rocket at Sderot, the (Israeli Defense Forces) IDF held its fire. But as it became evident that the rocket fire was continuing, albeit on a smaller scale, the IDF changed the rules in order to prevent Israeli civilians from being harmed," the paper added.