Nazareth: 2 children killed in rocket barrage

Deadly attack on Jezreel Valley: Brothers Ravia Taluzi, 3, and Mahmoud Taluzi, 7, were killed Wednesday afternoon when a Katyusha barrage hit the town of Nazareth. The rockets pummeled the town, hitting various neighborhoods. The two children were playing near their house when the rocket hit. The two casualties Wednesday raised the civilian death toll since the beginning of the fighting to 16. Magen David Adom reported that 76 people were injured in rocket attacks on the Valley area, including 26 who suffered form shock. Only a few hours earlier, Matans Taluzi took his two little brothers to play soccer. “They were walking faster than me, running down the street. Suddenly I heard a blast and that’s it, they were dead. And then I was hurt a bit too and they took me to the hospital,” Matans told Ynet. Matans tried to hold back his tears. “My little brothers are shahids. That means they’re little kids who haven’t seen anything yet, so their place is in heaven,” he said. Resident of the Tzafafra neighborhood gathered around the small crater in the ground left by the rocket, disbelieving. Upset about the situation, residents refused to accept the new reality. Salah Mahmoud said, “We all came here today, politicians, media, but what good will it do? We have nowhere to go. We have nowhere to run to. We don’t even have bomb shelters.” Neighbors gather around rocket strike site (Photo: Omri Elat) The neighborhood children witnessed the difficult scene. One child, Walid Awari, described what he saw. “I heard a loud boom, and me and my friends came out to see what happened, and then we saw two children burned,” he said. Awari’s friends, about 12 years old, said they were not afraid, but their eyes told a different story. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called Nazareth Mayor Ramez Jiraisi to express his condolences over the killing of the townspeople and to offer aid. Jiraisi told Ynet he heard the reports while driving. Rockets strike region During the morning hours, the Home Front Command recommended alertness and caution. "Today we held children's camps inside buildings. This is a very crowded neighborhood. I have no idea what the identities of those killed are," Jaraisi said. At the same time, rockets were fired on the Galilee and two other rockets fell on Hatzor Haglilit. Another 12 rockets fell in the Kiryat Shmona area. Four rockets fell in Tiberias and the surrounding region, and a number of people suffered from shock. One rocket struck a house - no injuries were reported. A blaze broke out in the area when a rocket landed in open territoriy. In Carmiel a rocket struck a house - no injuries were reported in that attack. Two rockets landed in Haifa. The strikes on Afula Wednesday evening disrupted the water supply in town, and at this point the municipality has switched to using alternative sources. Mekorot, the Israel National Water Corporation reported it is attending to the matter and said the water supply will be resumed shortly. Katyushas on Nazareth (Photo: Yarden Mazor) In one of the heaviest barrages fired at Israel since fighting broke out last Wednesday, multiple of rockets landed in Safed. A house suffered a direct hit, but no one was injured. Five rockets also fell on Ma'alot, with one hitting a house. No injuries were reported. Rockets were also fired at Kiryat Shmona. Earlier, a rocket fired by Hizbullah hit a house in the city injuring four people: one moderately and three lightly. Sirens were sounded in the northern city of Haifa and its surroundings at noon Wednesday. At the same time, four rockets fell in open fields in Nahariya. About 10 rockets exploded in Hatzor Haglilit, Rosh Pina and Jezreel Valley sparking brush fires two rockets also fell in Kiryat Shmona. Earlier in the day a barrage of rockets landed in the Haifa area. One rocket landed in an empty home in the city two people sustained light shrapnel injuries. The remaining rockets landed in open areas. Hagai Einav contributed to the report

Nazareth: 2 children killed in rocket barrage

Rockets hit Nazareth, killing two siblings, three and nine, according to police reports. Rockets also land in Afula, Haifa area, Nahariya, Carmiel, Safed, Tiberias and Jezreel Valley. One of the rockets lands near security facility