5 Qassams fired at southern Israel

Five Qassam rockets were fired at Israel on Wednesday morning. The Red Dawn warning system identified at least four rockets which fell in open fields in the western Negev.

Earlier a Qassam had fallen in Palestinian territory. No one was injured and no damage was caused.

In communities near the Gaza Strip they did not expect Qassam fire to stop after the elections. Alon Shoster, the head of the Shaar Hanegev community, which lies along the border with Gaza, told Ynet: “Despite the Qassam fire over the last 5 years, we succeeded in continuing with life as usual. But we’ll certainly and precisely warn the government to implement its promises in order to stop the fire of Qassams and therefore we will demand security funding similar to that enjoyed by northern communities.”

Shoster added that should the government divert funds to local communities, the problem will be partially solved. “It is not acceptable that we receive orders to build shelters when the government is unwilling to aid us financially. But as usual we’ve been optimistic and we will continue to be optimistic.”

On Tuesday morning a 122 mm Katyusha rocket was fired at Askelon from the northern Gaza Strip. The rocket landed south of the city, causing no injuries or damage. The incident marked the first time Palestinians fire Katyusha from the Gaza Strip. The al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, took responsibility for the attack. The group said the rocket was a Russian-made Grad and added it “waited until the enemy’s confirmation before claiming responsibility.”

Over the last months hundreds of Qassam rockets were fired at Israel, and one of the preferred targets for Palestinian terror organizations is the industrial zone south of Ashkelon, which includes strategic sites such as a power station.