Woman lightly hurt in Qassam attack
Two rockets land in southern town of Sderot. One injures woman in Sapir College; another lands in elementary school, causes damage. Islamic Jihad's military wing claims responsibility; two group members killed in IDF strike shortly afterwards
Palestinians fired two rockets from the northern Gaza Strip. One landed in the Sapir College parking lot and injured the woman, while the other hit a sports field near an elementary school in Sderot, causing damage. Luckily, the school was empty due to the summer break.
A third rocket fired shortly afterwards landed in an open area.
The injured woman received medical treatment at the scene of the attack and was later evacuated to the Barzilay Medical Center in Ashkelon.
The rocket that landed in the elementary school caused slight damage to one of the buildings. A number of residents suffered from shock.
The al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad's military wing, claimed responsibility for firing the rockets. An organization spokesman told Ynet that an IDF aircraft fired at the rocket launching cell and that several people were apparently killed.
Sderot City Council member Michal Amsalem, who lives near the landing site, said, "I heard a very loud, terrible explosion. Everything was shaking and I was sure that the rocket landed inside the house. My 14-year-old son began shouting that his ear hurts.
"I went outside to see if anyone was injured and if they needed help. I saw terrified people, mainly teenagers who were apparently in the area. They were completely hysterical.
"All this happens on a day when the prime minister talks against fortifying Sderot," Amsalem added. "If they don’t want to fortify, that's okay, but they should at least make sure that we are not fired at anymore. We are wondering where is the government, where is Defense Minister Ehud Barak."
Qassam landing site near school (Photo: Amir Cohen)
Alon Schuster, head of the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, said in response to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's recent remarks, "This is an unfortunate situation in which the prime minister of a country aware of the need to build fortified rooms in every house does not understand the reality we are hit with today as well by the Qassam fire.
"I invite the prime minister to closely examine the need to fortify residents' houses, and maybe we will try and understand from him how we are supposed to open the next school year."
Alon Davidi, head of the Sderot Security Forum, said, "Following the Qassam fire, we call on Ehud Olmert to implement his declarations made Friday and this morning. The Qassam fire is continuing, and the prime minister is failing day after day in obtaining calm and security for Sderot and the surrounding area."
Nir Kabalo, who works near the collage at the Sderot industrial zone, told Ynet, "We heard the Color Red alert system which was followed by an immediate explosion. We went outsider and saw smoke apparently coming from the Sapir College.
"I have been here for a long time, so I know what is close and what is far away, and this sounded close to me. It was quite a loud explosion," he said.
Ali Waked and Moran Rada contributed to this report
