Qassam hits southern kibbutz building
Rocket fired from northern Gaza on Friday night causes light damage, no injuries reported. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid allowed into Strip on Friday despite ongoing Qassam, mortar fire
The rocket exploded in a kibbutz in the Sdot Negev Regional Council, causing light damage to a building. There were no reports of injuries.
The rocket landed near the kibbutz secretariat, causing damage. An office building nearby was damaged by shrapnel.
Avi Kadosh, the kibbutz's secretary, said that many people walk around the area at daytime, and that at night it serves as a main crossing for residents wishing to reach the main road in order to leave the kibbutz.
"It was pure luck. The Color Red alert system was activated, followed by a very loud boom. They told us the rocket exploded partially, but everyone here heard the blast or woke up from it," Kadosh said.
The kibbutz is in the midst of a fortification process, but Kadosh believes there is no other way but to operate in the Strip in order to stop the rocket fire from continuing.
"Like everyone else, we hear that Israel will likely enter the Strip. We are aware of the price we're about to pay, and we're ready to pay it. We're not ready to continue getting hit while nothing happens."
One Qassam rocket and dozens of mortar shells were fired at Israel on Thursday night in several barrages. The Qassam hit a building in the Eshkol Regional Council. There were no injuries, but a building sustained damage.
'Humanitarian need always one-sided?'
Despite the continued rocket and mortar fire on Israel's southern communities, the Defense Ministry allowed trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter Gaza on Friday morning.
The army some 40 trucks delivered medicine, fuel, cooking gas and other vital goods to the Strip. The Defense Ministry agreed to open the three main cargo crossings into Gaza as part of its policy of avoiding a humanitarian crisis there.
The aid was transferred through the Kerem Shalom, Nahal Oz and Karni crossings. Palestinian workers at the Gaza fuel terminal said that a limited shipment of fuel had been delivered to the main power station in the Strip.
Heads of the Gaza vicinity communities were outraged by the decision. Head of the Eshkol Regional Council Haim Yelin said that after such a night he had hoped that the border crossings would remain closed.
"I must say that I fail to understand the reasons behind continuing to deliver aid to those Palestinians for 'humanitarian ground'," he stated. "Why is the humanitarian need always one-sided? Why are there no humanitarian concerns towards us and a stop to the rocket fire?"
Additional rockets were fired at the Gaza vicinity communities on Friday afternoon, but landed on Palestinian territory. One of the rockets struck a house in the Gaza Strip, killing two Palestinian sisters aged five and 13.
