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1,402 rockets shot at Israel since onset of fighting
Northern District Police report 19 dead, more than 1,200 injured as a result of rocket attacks. Only Wednesday, 98 rockets launched by afternoon hours, resulting in several casualties
Since the onset of the current confrontation on the northern border, 15 days ago, 1,402 rockets have been launched at Israel, the Northern District Police's spokesperson reported. Nineteen civilians have been killed and 1,262 wounded, including 46 who are still hospitalized. Many of the injured suffered from shock.
On Wednesday, the barrages on the north continued. As of the afternoon, 98 rockets were fired at northern Israel, leaving one man severely injured. Some 21 others were lightly injured and 14 suffered from shock, as a result of the barrage.
Early in the afternoon, 17 people in a shelter in Kiryat Shmona suffered from smoke inhalation, after a rocket hit an adjacent building. MDA sources reported that crews were summoned to the area to treat the injured.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., warning sirens were activated in the Western Galilee. At the same time, a rocket barrage landed on the northern community of Maalot. A number of residences were damaged as a result. Additionally, over a hundred chickens died in a neighboring community, after a rocket hit two poultry coops.
Place hit by rocket in Krayot area (Photo: Ahiya Raved)
The most severe blow of the day occurred in the Krayot area (northern suburbs of Haifa), where one man was severely injured after a rocket directly hit his vehicle; four additional individuals sustained light injuries from the event. Near Safed, one rocket hit a warehouse, lightly injuring one person.
On Tuesday, rocket attacks on the north took a heavy toll. Daa Abbas, a 15-year-old girl from the Druze town of Mrar, was killed from a direct hit to her home. Daa was watching television at the time, along with her mother and seventeen year old brother.
"The rocket entered the ceiling of the living room, went through the floor, and crashed into the TV room, where it hit her," said the girl's uncle, Ahmed Abbas.
Pre-draft party moved to Ramat Gan
A rocket that landed Wednesday morning in the Yesod Hama'aleh community shattered the plans of some twenty teenagers who were looking forward to their pre-draft party. The idea to move the party to Tiberias was no longer relevant, because several rockets have also landed in that city. In the afternoon, the teenagers and their parents received word that Tzvi Bar, mayor of Ramat Gan and a Yesod Hama'aleh native, would allow them to have the event in the Ramat Gan 'soldier's house'.
"This makes us very glad. A special bus will be chartered to take the teenagers and families to celebrate our children's imminent draft, when they will be joining combat and elite combat units, some of which are currently serving in the north," said one of the mothers.
In Kiryat Shmona, community center employees decided to impose sanctions after not receiving their salaries for the past four months. The sanctions would affect the community operations room, which is responsible for aid provision in the shelters and the emergency hotline.
Municipality sources said that the sum to pay the salaries for employees of the community center, the local authorities, and the area religious authorities is currently being discussed with the Interior Ministry. They further stated that Kiryat Shmona Mayor Haim Barbivai was trying to receive an allowance that would cover these salary payments.
In contrast, in Nahariya, members of the Young Israel organization, along with volunteers from the local national-religious yeshiva, toured shelters in the area with a magician, musicians, and actors. The guests led activities for the children and distributed food, night lights and modest gifts to the city residents, who have been living in shelters and fortified structures for 15 days.
Sharon Roffe-Ofir contributed to the report
