Woman Killed in Sderot Rocket Attack

From Arutz Sheva:

Woman Killed in Sderot Rocket Attack

A woman was killed and a man lost his legs when two Kassam rockets landed in downtown Sderot. The Islamic Jihad and Iz A-Din El-Kassam terrorists claimed credit.

The rockets fell not far from the house of former Sderot Mayor Amir Peretz, Israel's Defense Minister.

Fatima Slutzker, 57, who was killed in the attack, and Maor (ben Dorit) Peretz, 24-year-old guard assigned to protect Peretz's house, were hit by the rockets' wildly-scattered deadly shrapnel. Both were taken to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, where the woman died, leaving behind her husband and two sons. Peretz had both of his legs amputated. Six other people were treated for light injuries. Close to ten Kassams were fired at Sderot today.

Four other rockets were fired at the western Negev this morning (Wednesday), two volleys were fired into downtown Sderot last night, and yet another rocket landed near a children's nursery in a nearby kibbutz yesterday morning.

"People went into panic and began yelling when they heard the boom this morning," one eyewitness said.

Another resident told Arutz-7 that it is becoming impossible for many people to continue living in the city in the face of such fears and uncertainty.

Meanwhile, Olmert's dealing with Hamas does not seem to be any more coherent than the way he conducted the war with Hezbollah

MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union), commenting on the government's refusal to send in massive forces to enter Gaza, said bitterly, "Only a rocket on Tel Aviv will cause [Prime Minister] Olmert to take over Gaza."

Today's victim is the seventh victim of a Kassam attack.

Today's victim was Israel's seventh direct victim of a Kassam rocket, among the nearly 1,700 that have been fired since the withdrawal from Gaza. Mordechai Yosifov, 49, and Afik Zahavi, a 3.5 year old on his way to nursery, were killed in June 2004. Three months later, two young cousins - Dorit Aniso, 2, and Yuval Abebeh, 4 - were killed just before the onset of the Sukkot holiday. Four months later, Ella Abukasis, 17, was killed by a Kassam rocket as she was walking home; she jumped to protect her brother when the Red Dawn rocket warning alert sounded. In July 2005, Dana Gelkowitz, 22, was killed in a Kassam attack at Netiv HaAsarah - the only non-Sderot Kassam casualty among Israelis.

In addition, three foreign workers were killed in a Kassam attack in Gush Katif in 2005, and two Bedouin were killed when they moved a previously-unexploded Kassam in a field.

Meanwhile, in contrast to Israel's reaction when civilians are accidentally killed, Hamas is gloating:

Hamas Boasts: Kassam Has Defeated Israel

An official Hamas communique states, "The enemy, in his despair, has tried everything against our Kassams, but he knows that all his plans will fail."

Abu Obeideh, the spokesman of the Iz A-Din El-Kassam military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization, publicized this statement: "Everyone knows that the main purpose of all the Israeli military missions is to stop the Kassam rockets. The enemy, in his despair, has tried all means of pressure, instilling fear, killing and collective punishment, but he recognizes the fact that all his plans will fail with the launching of the first volley from between the columns of armor, and despite his planes and intelligence gathering."

The Hamas spokesman said, "Our fighters have dealt successfully with the military missions, and this has brought Israel to announce another plan indicating its despair, according to which it will no longer announce where the rockets fell, in the illusion that this will mislead the resistance." He said this will not disturb them from determining their targets "with precision and with new means." The proof of this, he said, is the high number of "accurate hits among the colonialists [Israeli citizens] and homes, and their running to the shelters, the sounding of rocket warning systems and street demonstrations by colonialists who have no security in their homes."

Israel must think carefully before considering conquering the Gaza Strip, the spokesman warns, because it will not fulfill its goal and will simply cause additional defeats for its army.

Olmert has claimed that Nasrallah does not have the appetite for another war with Israel--Actually it is Olmert who does not have the stomach to do what is necessary: neither against Hezbollah or Hamas.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Sderot and Olmert and Kassams and Hamas.