Sderot market
Photo: Amir Cohen
Qassam rocket
Photo: Amir Cohen
Four Qassam rockets were fired Sunday afternoon from the northern Gaza Strip towards the southern Negev region. One rocket landed dozens of meters from Sderot's outdoor market, while the other apparently fell in an open area outside town.
A third rocket was fired at 2 p.m. and landed in an open field in town. Minutes later, another Qassam was launched and landed in an open area outside town. no injuries or damage were reported.
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Parents of the students of the neighboring school "Hanativ Hayeshivati" were also alarmed by the rocket and quickly arrived at the school to take their children home.
Sharly Cohen, a shop owner at the market, told Ynet: "I had 40 people in my store, when en explosion was heard. People panicked, some ran outside, others fainted or cried. I kept looking for water in order to give people and help calm them down."
"This is a difficult situation, ands it continues despite the IDF's presence in Gaza. I don't know if the army is really operating, or whether its hands are tied," he added. Cohen said that the market is not fortified, and that had a rocket landed in the place, "one of the greatest disasters in Sderot could have taken place."
In a cabinet meeting Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that, "The objective of the operation in Gaza is on – reducing Qassam fire at Israel and halting terror activities against citizens in the south of the country."
He stressed that, "That's the one and only objective … We have no intention of staying in Gaza or occupying it."