Infant lightly hurt in rocket attack on Gedera

A Grad rocket fired from north Gaza Tuesday morning exploded near a house in the city of Gedera, located between Rehovot and Ashdod.

Magen David Adom emergency services said a three-month-old girl sustained minor injuries in the attack and a number of people suffered shock.

A Gedera resident who lives in close proximity to the house told Ynet, "No siren was sounded before the rocket hit. It's very scary. I don’t want to leave the city, that isn't the solution, but we should at least be warned of incoming projectiles so we can take cover in secure rooms."

According to Gedera Regional Council Head Yoel Gamliel, "the sirens were activated for a few seconds, but some of them malfunctioned. We are looking into it with the IDF's Home Front Command. The sirens will be repaired."

Members of the Kidron family suffered their greatest blow when their one-year-old dog Sili was killed from shrapnel in the yard. Twelve-year-old daughter Shir who was staying in a room on the ground floor was saved after running to the shelter when the siren was sounded. The room she was previously in was completely destroyed.

Recounting her experience, Shir said, "I heard the siren and just like we practiced at school and heard on television, I went down to the shelter, I called my dad, and suddenly there was a loud blast outside, it was frightening, when I went outside I saw that our dog had been hit.

"Obviously it was scary, but I was on the phone with my dad the whole time and afterwards he came here. Only when I went outside did I see the whole mess."

'Home Front Command instructions save lives'

The father, Avital Kidron, who rushed home from work said this was nothing short of a miracle, adding, "There is no other word to describe it, a few seconds earlier the girl was in this room that is now in ruins, if she had stayed there, she wouldn't have survived. I am so proud of her for acting according to the Home Front Command's instructions."

"I was at work, I heard the siren and then my daughter called me from the shelter. It's hard to describe the moments of anxiety. I rushed home and when I got there, I realized it had fallen close, but I didn't know it had actually hit the house.

"It's simply a miracle what happened here, but there is no doubt that whoever listens to the Home Front Command's instructions is saving lives. This is exactly what happened here."