Rocket barrage launched from Gaza

Relative calm of Purim holiday weekend shattered by Palestinian rockets in southern Israel as rocket alert sirens sent festival-goers scrambling for cover. No injuries have been reported and local residents say out-of-towners who came to celebrate with the rocket-battered south were left shaken
Shmulik Hadad

Palestinian terror groups launched three Qassam rockets from northern Gaza towards Israel on Friday afternoon, as residents of southern Israel celebrated the Purim holiday in street shows and fairs.

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One of the rockets reportedly landed on the Palestinian side of the security fence along the border between Gaza and Israel, security forces are currently deployed to locate the other two rockets. No injuries have been reported and no damage was caused.

In Kibbutz Alumim a panic broke out as Color Red rocket sirens sounded, sending the assembled crowd of some 600 people running for cover. "It was very unpleasant. Many of the participants aren't from the area and came here to visit, they grew frightened and left very quickly," said one of the festival-goers.

"It was very sad to see the panic that was created. Afterwards it (the festival) just didn't go back to normal. Unfortunately our enemies just won't leave us alone," he said.

Meanwhile earlier on Friday a Hamas operative was killed and two other members of the Islamist movement were wounded in an accidental explosion at a training camp in Gaza, the second such incident in as many days, medics said.

In a similar incident on Thursday two Hamas gunmen were killed and a third seriously wounded.