A woman aged 55 sustained light to moderate wounds Monday after a Qasssam rocket exploded in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council.
The woman, a shepherd, was hit by shrapnel in her lower limbs and was treated by Magen David Adom teams. She was later taken to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.
A color red alert was sounded in the area prior to the hit.
- The rocket landed near a Bedouin tent site and caught a pair of Bedouins without shelter. The rocket exploded near the tent and caused injury to the woman.
Woman being rushed to hospital (Photo: Tzafrir Abayov)
Hof Ashkelon Council head Yair Farjoun said, "I don't accept claims suggesting that the rocket fire from Gaza was carried out by esoteric groups. There is one framework in Gaza which should be held accountable.
"I am confident the Southern Command will trace the squad and intercept it." He added that fortified areas are being build in a nearby kibbutz.
On Thursday, a Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip exploded inthe Hof Ashkelon Council. No injuries or damage were reported.
The relative calm in the Gaza vicinity area has been broken in the past few weeks by rockets and mortars fired at Israel.
There were no injuries and the IDF responded by striking targets in the Gaza Strip.
Fatma's tent house (Photo: Zeev Trachtman)
Fatma Saria, who was injured in Monday's attack, described the moment she was hit: "The explosion caught me as I was going to sleep. My husband came and tried to bandage my foot. He drove me to the kibbutz and there they bandaged me and took me to the hospital."
Saria is used to life under the rocket threat. "We constantly hear alarms and explosions of Qassam rockets but I'm not scared, because it's all Allah's work. "
She noted that the rocket exploded near the family's herd of 400 sheep.
Despite her injuries, Saria is determined to go back to her tent. "This is our place. I hope this doesn't happen again, and if it does – then it's all by Allah."
First published: 23:04, 08.01.11