Boy lightly injured by Qassam in south
Rocket lands in western Negev kibbutz; four-year-old child sitting in car sustains light wounds from shrapnel, vehicle and nearby building sustain damage. Qassam fired several minutes earlier hits open area; no injuries or damage reported
A four-year-old boy, Amir Arad, was lightly injured by shrapnel Monday after a Qassam rocket landed in Kibbutz Gevim in the western Negev.
Ilan Arad, the boy's father, told Ynet, "We had just returned from the north and the boy was sitting at the back seat of the car. As we arrived at the community we heard the Color Red (alert system), and the Qassam landed in our backyard.
"The shrapnel infiltrated the car near the fuel tank and hit the boy's shoulder. He was evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment."
His mother Lior said that the family decided to leave the community after a Qassam rocket landed in the area last Thursday.
"We went to visit my parents in Rosh Hanikra and stayed there for a few days. As we entered the kibbutz, we heard the Color Red. Amir was still buckled up, and then we heard the explosion and the shrapnel flying.
"My daughter screamed that Amir had blood coming out of his shoulder. Magen David Adom crews began tending to him and evacuated him to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon."
The family's car and a nearby building sustained light damage in the rocket attack.
The rocket was fired minutes after another Qassam landed in an open area within the Sdot Negev Regional Council. There were no reports of injuries or damage in the earlier incident.
Despite the ongoing rocket fire, Hamas members have said that a truce between Israel and the organization through Egyptian mediation was "very near." Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's political advisor Ahmed Yousef estimated Monday that a breakthrough on the issue was possible in the coming days.
Ongoing Fire
Palestinian gunmen fired four Qassam rockets toward the western Negev on Monday morning. One of the rockets landed near Shaar Hanegev Regional Council head Alon Schuster, who told Ynet he heard the rocket fly over him as he was jogging.
Seven rockets were fired at the western Negev on Sunday evening. The Color Red alert system was activated at 6:45 pm, and several seconds later explosions were heard in the area. The system was activated again at around 7:30 pm, followed by additional rockets landing in the western Negev. Two more rockets landed three hours later.
Two rockets were fired at open areas in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council on Sunday morning. There were no reports of injuries or damage. Dozens of mortar shells were fired during the holiday.
On Sunday night, Palestinian sources reported that an Israeli fighter jet fired at a car driving in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah. According to the sources, IAF strike was in fact a targeted assassination attempt gone-wrong on Ra'ad al-Atar, a senior Izz al-Din Din al-Qassam – Hamas' military wing – operative.
Two people, reportedly civilians, were killed in strike. Atar was left unscathed. The IDF confirmed the attack, citing it was targeting a gunmen cell and that the pilots reported hitting the target.
Ze'ev Trachtman contributed to this report
