2 Qassam rockets land in South
Despite IDF's operation to prevent rocket launching toward Israel, one Qassam falls on house in town of Sderot, killing cat in backyard; second rocket lands in western Negev community
The rocket landed a few meters away from two kindergartens. Following the fall, the children were rushed into reinforced rooms.
The second rocket landed in an open area at a western Negev community.
The Sderot Municipality launched a strike in response to the rockets, and IDF soldiers fired artillery rounds toward the Qassam launching site in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanun.
The Qassams was launched despite the fact that the army resumed its artillery fire toward launching sites in the northern Gaza Strip areas. The Israel Air Force launched a strike on seven targets in the northern Strip, including access routes and a bridge, in a bid to make it difficult for the launching groups to reach the sites.
Sderot resident Avner Dadon, whose house was hit by the rocket, told Ynet that "the Qassam hit the external wall of the children's room and then flew to the backyard. The window and wall were damaged and the great luck was that the children are at school."
Dadon said that he found out about the rocket from his brother, who had called him to say that a house in their neighborhood was hit.
"I hurried home and was astonished to discover that the rocket hit my house. I'm trembling from the thought of what would have happened if the children were in the room," he said.
"This situation it absolutely terrible. We cannot continue living in such fear 24 hours a day. This town should be closed and we should be evacuated from here until a solution for the Qassams is found. What is happening in this town is inhuman, and what is more annoying is that no one cares about us," he charged.
The agitated neighbors also stood outside the house, staring at the wide-open hole in the yard. Shrapnel from the rocket also hit a nearby house.
One of the neighbors said that "what happened here is a great miracle. The rocket could have fallen on a kindergarten or a house. It's time that the army starts operating in order to prevent this fire toward the town."
Sderot resident Rina Mor-Yosef said that "I called the municipality and offered to organize a number of buses right now and go to demonstrate in Jerusalem, because this situation cannot continue. People in Sderot walk with their heads held up high for fear that another Qassam rocket will fall."
The Sderot Municipality held an emergency meeting Tuesday afternoon and decided to launch a strike in the town and hold demonstrations in Jerusalem in the next few days. Municipality officials said that the move was taken in light of the government minister's disregard for their distress.
Sderot Municipality spokesman Yossi Pinhas Cohen said that "everyone is engaged in the elections and is not available to talk to use and explain the situation to us, from Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to the defense minister and other ministers who are busy with the elections. Therefore, we decided to launch a protest."
"Sderot residents did not sleep all night because of the IDF's fire and the operation there. This situation can definitely not continue," he said.
'Mofaz should draw personal conclusions'
Etti Altman, spokesperson for the Let Animals Live organization, expressed great anger over the cat's death in the attack.
"The organization regrets the fact that Qassam rockets also hit animals, and that a poor cat in the yard was killed as a result of the firing. The responsible groups should take this into consideration and understand that the terror organizations also have the animal rights organizations to deal with," she said.
Meanwhile, the Knesset's State Control Committee on Tuesday morning called on Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz to draw personal conclusions following "the failure in fortifying the Gaza-surrounding communities after the evacuation."
Committee members harshly criticized Mofaz. Knesset Member Zevulun Orlev (National Religious Party) said that "in any normal country, the defense minister would resign on a day when such a severe (state) comptroller's report is submitted. The comptroller should point to the person responsible for the bloodshed as a result of the severe failure."
State Comptroller Micha Lidenstrauss said during the committee's discussion that two more reports on the issue are expected to be submitted in the future, including personal conclusions.
Ilan Marciano and Hanan Greenberg contributed to the report
