Monday: Another Qassam salvo strikes Negev
Sderot residents awake to sounds of five Qassams whistling overhead; rockets land in open fields; no injuries, damage reported
The rockets landed in open fields, and no injuries or damage were reported.
At around 8:30 a.m. two more rockets landed in Sderot and in an open field in the western Negev; no injuries or damage were reported.
Sderot remains on high alert for fear of additional attacks, yet the local municipality rejected on Sunday a proposal to evacuate elementary school children from the city.
Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter said Sunday that he wasn’t pleased with the way the government has been handling the rocket threat. "We need to understand that an assassination here and an assassination there won't stop the Qassams," he told Ynet Sunday night.
Three Qassam rockets were fired toward the western Negev Sunday night; two landed in Sderot, lightly injuring a 13-year-old boy. Another rocket landed by kibbutz in the area.
Meanwhile it was reported that Defense Ministry Director-General, Major General (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi, suggested allotting funds to finance a rocket interception system, instead of fortifying 8,000 houses in Sderot and the western Negev, contrary to a request made by Defense Minister Amir Peretz .
The defense establishment is looking into several options for developing a missile interception system, including the Nautilus and RAFAEL's (Armaments Development Authority) Barak project.
"It's time to tell ourselves the truth: We need to stop the Qassams today, because I don't suggest waiting for a time when the Palestinians have better rockets. As a government, we can do much more," he stated.
