This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.Rocket attacks on the neighboring cities of Eilat, in Israel, and Aqaba, in Jordan, have been a tactic used by militants from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and organizations linked with Al-Qaeda because of the relative ease of launching rocket attacks against these two cities from adjacent desert areas.
[8] Two Grad rockets were fired at Eilat from Sinai, falling short of the city and exploding in open areas.
No physical injuries or damage were reported, but a number of residents suffered from acute stress reaction.
[17] Two rockets shells were found in southern Israel, following reports overnight that an explosion had been heard in the area.
[18][19] It was discovered that Hamas asked Egyptian Bedouins to fire the rockets at request of Muslim Brotherhood.
Residents heard large explosions, and, the following day, police sappers found remnants of the missile on a residential construction site.
[22][23][24] In the aftermath, Israel published a statement that any rocket attacks from Sinai peninsula will be counted as Hamas responsibility.
[25] Also, Israel allowed the Egyptian military forces to enter the Sinai [26] The attack took place in the early morning.
The projectiles were Iranian-made 122 mm Grad rockets, each weighing 6 kilograms (13 lb) and with ranges of approximately 20 kilometers (12 mi).
[27][29][30] On 4 August, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his country had intelligence confirming that Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist militant group and de facto governing authority in the Gaza Strip, was responsible for the attack.
[27][31] Palestinian Authority security officials said that the commander of Hamas' military wing in Rafah, Raed al Atar, was responsible for ordering the attack.
Intelligence sources said that a number of militants under his control crossed into Sinai through the Rafah tunnels, where they were met by Egyptian drivers and the rockets.
An anonymous Jordanian political source assessed that the attack was perpetrated by Tawhid al-Jihad, a radical Muslim group which opposes Hamas and collaborates with Sinai Bedouin who are at odds with the Egyptian authorities.
[37] The September 2010 arrest in Egypt of Mohammed Dababish, the Hamas intelligence chief in Gaza, is thought to be linked to the August 2010 attacks.
Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov announced plans to take the issue up with U.S. ambassador James Cunningham, asserting that "Differentiating Israel from its neighbor that actually suffered loss of life is improper and lacks balance.
[43] Before dawn, three 122mm Grad rockets were fired from the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt at the resort town of Eilat at the extreme south of Israel.
[27][53][54] According to The Economist, Hamas has already sent "a group from Gaza" to launch rocket attacks form Sinai at Eilat.
[55] According to Ronen Bergman, security affairs commentator for Yedioth Ahronoth: "The farther from Cairo, the weaker the central authority is.
If Hamas is able to deepen its cooperation with the Bedouin, and create bases in Sinai for recruitment, we're talking about a new ballgame.
[56] In April 2010, 26 members of an alleged Hezbollah spy cell were convicted by an Egyptian court on charges including planning attacks on tourist sites and smuggling weapons form Sinai Hamas in Gaza.