Sderot Under Fire

Israel Insider
May 6, 2005

http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/1006/sderot-under-fire

The "Red Dawn" siren again blared across the southern town of Sderot, after another spate of Qassam rockets were fired at the community by Palestinian terrorists early Friday.

Three of the rockets landed in an open field. One hit a building in the center of the Negev town, which is empty due to renovation works. The rockets didn't cause any injuries or damages. But the Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance service said that several people had been treated for shock.

Late Thursday, a Qassam rocket hit a house in Sderot, not far from the spot where two children were killed in a previous rocket attack.

Following that attack, dozens of local residents gathered to protest the continued attacks. Several police officers were called to the scene and conversed with the demonstrators.

Genadi Davidov, who lives near the house that sustained the direct hit, said he was at home at the time of the attack and heard the explosion. "At our home, windows and doors were damaged," he said. "It caused great panic on the street here, people went out and were very frightened."

Since the de facto ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, a number of Qassam rockets have been fired at Sderot causing no damage or injury.

David Baker, an official in the Prime Minister's Office, charged that the Palestinian Authority is freeing suspects and "allowing them to perpetrate additional acts of terror. This has to stop." Palestinian security officials promised to investigate.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz addressed the ongoing Qassam attacks in a meeting with senior security officials. During the session, Mofaz said the IDF must respond to every attack "decisively but proportionally."

A senior IDF Southern Command officer said he expects the Hamas to continue the occasional rocket attacks, at least until the Gaza pullout is completed, in a bid to score political points.

In separate incidents on Friday, Palestinians fired an anti-tank rocket at an Israeli vehicle outside the southern Gaza settlement of Kfar Darom. A mortar shell also hit a Gush Katif settlement. No damage or casualties were reported in either case.

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