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Rocket fired from Gaza (archives)
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False alarm causes panic in south

Following first rocket-free day since Gaza operation, Color Red siren sounds in Gaza vicinity communities. Initial report says mortar shell fired from Strip; police later confirm alert system activated accidentally

A Color Red siren sounded in the Gaza vicinity communities Tuesday morning despite the ceasefire declared by the Palestinian organizations in the Gaza Strip. An initial report said that a mortar shell had been fired into the Sdot Negev Regional Council, but the army later said the siren was a false alarm.

 

Many residents reported of panic following the siren. A resident of one of the kibbutzim in the area said, "When the Color Red system was activated we were quite surprised, although I can't say we really expected a full ceasefire. People went out to work and we began a sort of routine.

 

"We heard the alarm and ran into the fortified areas. We then went back to work. I find it hard to believe that we'll really reach a complete state of calm, but I thought that at least the first days would be calmer."

 

The secretary of a community in the region spoke about the moments of anxiety. "We're sitting, hoping for calm, when we suddenly hear the Color Red. We are in total shock; we really expected a state of calm.

 

"One person said there would be a few quiet weeks, another said there would be two, but it turns out we only got one. We hoped to return to normal, and then the Color Red suddenly sounded. It's hard to believe this is happening."

 

The last rocket was fired from Gaza on Sunday afternoon, shortly after Hamas' ceasefire declaration. It exploded in an open area near a kibbutz in the Sdot Negev Regional Council, not far from the town of Netivot. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

 

At least fifteen rockets were fired from Gaza on Sunday. One landed near a house in Ashdod, leaving a man moderately wounded and a woman lightly hurt. Several residents suffered shock.

 

Shmulik Hadad contributed to this report

 


פרסום ראשון: 01.20.09, 11:53
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