Qassam-launching cell
Photo: AFP
Palestinians: Man killed in Gaza strike
Air Force strike Qassam cell in Beit Hanoun following rocket attack on Sderot; Gaza sources say man died at home
Palestinian hospital officials said Wednesday that a 47-year-old man was killed in an Air Force strike targeting a Qassam cell in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun.
The sources said the man was killed when a missile hit his house and a balcony collapsed on him.
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The IDF said that the strike was carried out in response to the numerous Qassam rockets fired from Gaza at Israel throughout the day.
Three people were wounded Wednesday during a tough day in southern Israel that saw more than 20 rockets fired at Negev communities.
Addressing the rocket strikes Wednesday evening, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that the IDF will embark on a Gaza operation once the situation requires such move.
"'We are not deterred by a broad operation in Gaza, but we do not wish to rush into such operation," he said. "We will act when the time is right; we will decide what the right time and place are."
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also responded to the escalating violence while voting in the Kadima Party primaries.
"The fire just stresses what we have been saying all along, which is that we cannot consent to a situation where there is a supposed lull, but reality is completely different. Of course this requires our attention, and there will be a response," he said.
Efrat Weiss contributed to this report
