Palestinians: Israel wouldn't dare return to Gaza

"The continuance of the Gaza rockets is proof that Israel's operations and the ‘security strip’ it set up in Gaza has no chance of preventing the rockets," said Abu Ahmed, an al-Aqsa Brigades commander in Gaza.

"There was no special preparation among the missiles division members for the Israeli ‘security strip.’ This whole matter of a ‘security strip is ridiculous’; do they think we are firing the rockets from an obvious target for the Israeli tanks and artillery guns?" said Ahmed.

He added: "We have hundreds of places and hundreds of possibilities, including places they classify as the ‘security strip,’ to carry out the firing of the rockets."

'We're improving rocket ranges'

Abu Ahmed added that the security strip would not stop the Qassam attacks. "It’s clear to us that after their withdrawal, the Israelis would not dare return to Gaza, therefore they can't prevent the rockets. At the same time, we are improving the rocket ranges. It's not a problem for us to shoot a rocket at any target within the range of the Qassams," he said.

Meanwhile, residents of Sderot are furious at what they say is the double standard meted out to Sderot and Ashkelon.

Sderot residents believe that operation “Blue Skies” was launched only after Ashkelon came under rocket fire and that the operation is not designed to protect Sderot.

Sderot mayor Eli Moyal said: "We want to know, once and for all, what the prime minister plans on doing in order to stop the rocket attacks on Sderot, as he and his people are doing for Ashkelon."