Rocket hits south of Ashkelon; no injuries

Rocket fired by terrorists in north Gaza lands in open space near Israeli city

Shmulik Hadad|Published: 03.31.11 , 20:14

A rocket fired by Palestinian terrorists in north Gaza Thursday evening landed in an open area south of Ashkelon. There were no reports of injury or damage.

At around 7:30 pm the "Color Red" siren sounded in communities located south of Ashkelon. An explosion was heard shortly thereafter. Security forces were searching for the rocket's exact landing site.

On Tuesday terrorists in Gaza launched a Qassam rocket towards Sderot, but it landed in Palestinian territory. In response, Israeli aircraft bombed targets in the Hamas-ruled territory, killing a gunman from Islamic Jihad.

Following the deployment of the Iron Dome missile defense system near Beersheba on Sunday, Ashkelon's residents demanded that another battery be deployed near their city. "We sustained rocket fire long before they (Beersheba residents) did," one resident said.