The Israeli Air Force immediately retaliated for a mortar shell attack on soldiers near Gaza and bombed Islamic Jihad terror targets, reportedly killing three terrorists.

The casualties were reported by Islamic Jihad sources and have not been confirmed or denied by the IDF, but military spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said, “Direct hits were confirmed” moments after the mortar shell attack. He added, “Rapid reaction and operational capabilities are key to combating terrorist activities against Israel and our forces. Terrorist must know that there is a price to pay when participating in aggression.”

The military holds Hamas, the de facto regime in Gaza, responsible for all terrorist attacks.

A spokesman for the Hamas-run Health Ministry told the French News Agency AFP, “Three martyrs have died in a Zionist strike east of Rafiah.”

The mortar shell attack was aimed at soldiers who were on routine patrol near the security fence in the areas of the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Earlier in the day, the IDF reported that one of its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) crashed in southern Gaza due to a technical malfunction.

The White House finally has come out with a statement condemning the ship carrying Iranian missiles destined for Gaza, but only after it took a couple of days to figure out how  to  censure the smuggling attempt without hinting that perhaps Iran cannot be trusted in talks on its nuclear development.

“It is important to make clear that even as we continue efforts to resolve our concerns over Iran’s nuclear program through diplomacy, we will continue, in coordination with our partners and allies, to push back against Iranian support for terrorism, threats against our friends and partners, and violations of human rights,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said at a press briefing Monday.

“We were very clear about our views on the ship that was interdicted and the fact that we condemn in the strongest terms Iran’s efforts to supply terrorist organizations operating in the region with weaponry,” Carney said. “We, the United States, strongly condemn this violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929.”

He stated, “We are not holding back at all in the steps we take and the views we hold about Iran’s continued support for terrorist organizations.

Since the Obama administration clearly states that Iran supports terror, the question remains, “Why does President Barack Obama negotiate with Tehran and not with Hamas, or North Korea?”

On Tuesday, March 4, an Egyptian court ordered the banning of Hamas work and activities in Egypt.  The case was brought by a contingent of Egyptian lawyers in 2013. The lawsuit sought the designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization and the banning of Hamas in Egypt.

In the wake of the ruling, there are indications that the Egyptian government is taking action in preparation to revoke the citizenship of Egyptians who are members of Hamas.

Rumors about the revocation of citizenship for Egyptian members of Hamas have been circulating for several months, but Tuesday’s court decision gave the initiative an official governmental imprimatur.

The basis for the Egyptian court’s ruling was national security. There have been several major terrorist incidents in Egypt, in which Hamas and Hamas-affiliated Egyptians allegedly were involved.

Hamas is the Palestinian Arab offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the party of ousted Egyptian President Mohamad Morsi. During his presidential tenure, thousands of Palestinian Arabs, including Hamas leaders such as Mahmoud Zahar, were granted Egyptian citizenship.

Since Morsi’s ouster, Egyptian authorities have destroyed thousands of tunnels used for smuggling between Egypt and Gaza. This, of course, has served to undergird Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza which was imposed to prevent the smuggling into the Strip of weapons for use against the Jewish State.

The unsurprising response of Hamas spokespeople is that Egypt is aiding the “Zionist entity” by punishing those bent on Israel’s destruction.

Israeli soldiers on patrol at the Gaza security fence shot at a mob of hundreds of rock-throwing Arabs Tuesday, two of whom sustained moderate gunshot wounds.

The rioters also burned tires that were rolled towards the soldiers. None of the soldiers were wounded.

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), soldiers and police have arrested 15 Hamas members in the past several weeks on suspicion of carrying out rock-throwing and Molotov cocktail attacks on Highway 443, which connects Samaria, Jerusalem, the city of Modi’in and Ben Gurion Airport.

Several of those arrested are returnees to terror, having previously been jailed for attacks against Jews. Military official said there is not only a growing trend of the “revolving door terrorists” phenomena, but that the terrorist also are improving their methods and involvement.

Israel previously has received hundreds of terrorists who signed a piece of paper promising they would behave nicely and would not return to terror.

Since then, the released prisoners who returned to their favorite occupation of terror have killed more than 120 Jews the past several years.

Islamic law forbids a one-way trip to Mars, a “fatwa” Muslim religious committee has ruled in the UAE (United Arab Emirates), the Khaleej Times reported Wednesday.

“Such a one-way journey poses a real risk to life, and that can never be justified in Islam,” the committee said. “There is a possibility that an individual who travels to planet Mars may not be able to remain alive there, and is more vulnerable to death.”

The fatwa committee is under the jurisdiction of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment in the UAE. Even worse than dying after a move to the red planet, the Muslim would meet his Maker for no “righteous reason” and therefore would be subject to “punishment similar to that of suicide in the Hereafter,” the committee warned.

Committee chairman Professor Dr. Farooq Hamada was quoted by the newspaper as saying, “Protecting life against all possible dangers and keeping it safe is an issue agreed upon by all religions and is clearly stipulated in verse 4/29 of the Holy Quran: Do not kill yourselves or one another. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.”

Really?

Does that mean that the Quran forbids Muslims to be suicide bombers? After all, the professor did say that the Muslim holy book says one should not kill himself.

I am not an expert in the Quran. In fact, I never have opened the book. But it seems to me that lots of holy Muslims say that suicide missions are not only not forbidden but also are a mitzvah, pardon the expression. There probably is a large footnote somewhere in the Quran that advises that suicide missions are forbidden – unless they blow up Jews.

But let’s get back to an expert such as Prof. Hamada.

His fatwa was in response to a plan by a Dutch company called Mars One to invite volunteers to fly and live on Mars while taking into account it would be a one-way ticket since there is no technology on the market for bringing them back to Earth.

Thousands of volunteers have signed up to pay $38 for the journey, including 500 Saudis and other Arabs, the Khaleej newspaper stated.

The professor declared, “This is an absolutely baseless and unacceptable belief because not even an atom falls outside the purview of Allah, the Creator of everything. This has also been clearly underscored in verse 19&20/93 of the Holy Quran in which Allah says, “There is no one in the heavens and earth but that he comes to the Most Merciful as a servant. (Indeed) He has enumerated them and counted them a (full) counting.”

Islamic researcher Dr. Shaikh Mohammed Al Ashmawy added to the religious discourse on the verse and concluded that “Almighty Allah said in verse 2/195 in the Holy Quran: Do not throw yourselves with your own hands into destruction.”

Sheikh Mohammed Yusuf, Imam of the Amena mosque, said: “Man’s life is not his or her own property; it is God’s creation, and therefore suicide is prohibited in all religions, and of course by law.”

Where were these guys when Palestinian Authority terrorists were blowing up, and still are trying to blow up Jews, and Hezbollah terrorists were blowing up and still are blowing up Sunni Muslims?

Where were these leading religious figures on Sept. 10, 2011, or even the day after 9/11?

And if Mahmoud Abbas really wants to control terror, why doesn’t he ask Prof. Hamada to make an exception and allow suicide bombers to take a one-way trip to Mars.

I am more than willing to put up the 38 bucks.

Gaza’s first personal security business has opened up, but its owner says terrorists will not be accepted as customers.

“Secure Land” director Abdul Qader al-Arbid told the Chinese news agency Xinhua that clients will; include banks, hotels, celebrities and banks but not terrorists looking for protection from rival gangs.

“We only work with the private sector,” Arbid said. “This is how security companies work across the world.”

The company’s bodyguards’ first assignment last week was to protect Mohammed Assaf, the winner of the Arab Idol singing competition. Hamas has allowed the company’s 32 security officers to use light weapons, when necessary,

Secure Land also will not provide bodyguards for international aid organizations, meaning that UNRWA, which has increasingly been confronted by Hamas, will have to find its own solution to keep its workers alive.

“We have no problems to have such companies here. We are ready to support and help them in their job,” said Islam Shawan, spokesman for the Interior Ministry of Hamas.

The Palestinian Authority announced on Sunday that “the part that defines the religion of the Palestinian citizen has been erased” has been erased from identification cards.

Hassan Olwi, a director in the Palestinian Ministry of Interior, told the Chinese news agency Xinhua that the decision was made a few days ago in accordance with PA law upholding religious and racial equality.

Removing religious identity may be aimed at undermining Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s demand that Abbas recognize Israel as a “Jewish state.” After all, if Palestinian Authority Arabs are not defined as Christians or Muslims, then why Israelis should be defined as Jews, Muslims, Christians or whatever?

More interesting, “religious and racial equality” apparently does not include allowing Jews to live in a future Palestinian Authority country.

However, Hamas, views the announcement exactly in the opposite.

Hamas official Taher Al-Nunu charged that Abbas “is preparing the way for the execution of Kerry’s plan which demands that the Palestinian Authority absorb Jewish settlers into the Palestinian society as binational citizens of its proposed state,” the terrorist organization’s website stated on Monday.