Dogs scared by rockets (Archive photo)
Photo: CD Bank
Cats, dogs flee Palestinian rockets
Southern communitiy's security chief says pets frightened by Qassam attacks
A Qassam rocket landed Monday evening in an Israeli community north of Gaza. According to the community's security chief, dogs and many cats have escaped the area because "they hear the explosion in a much louder way and it frightens them. They're simply getting out of here."
The "Red Dawn" rocket alert system identified the rocket launch and an explosion was heard in the area shortly thereafter. On Sunday night, in almost precisely the same spot, two rockets landed close to the same community. One landed near the community's greenhouses.
The security chief added the atmosphere in the small community was depressed.
"One of the recent phenomena is the behavior of the pets, cats and dogs that have fled. There are many notices about cats and dogs that have disappeared. I remember my dog, which to my sorrow was run over, used to panic every time a Qassam rocket landed. I had to hold him almost forcefully so that he wouldn't go outside," he said.
The security chief added that "the truth has to be told. People here are simply scared. Nobody goes out in the evening, and I think we'll start to see families leaving this summer already. Everyone who rents here and can leave is already planning on doing so. There is a feeling of helplessness, it's clear to us that nothing is being done to solve the problem…We feel like we are the country's sieve."
The last round of Qassam rocket attacks took place at the end of the week, when four rockets landed last Friday in the Yad Mordecahi and Zikim region. There were no injuries or damage reported, and the IDF fired back artillery rounds at rocket launching sites.
In Sderot, residents said that once again, locals were unable to tell whether the explosions they heard were caused by Qassams or IDF fire.
