Ashkelon Man Dies in Rocket Attacks; IDF Strikes Back

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A man in his 50s was killed Saturday night as more rockets fell in southern Israel, with missiles hitting Ashkelon. Two people were injured in Ashkelon, as Grad rockets struck several parts of the city. One of the rockets hit in or near a house, and a very loud explosion was heard – indicating the possibility, a Magen David Adom spokesperson said, that a gas canister had been hit. One person was taken to Barzilai Hospital in the city in serious condition, where he later died of his wounds. A second person was injured lightly to moderately when another rocket slammed into a street in the city minutes later.

Meanwhile, Gaza sources said that the IDF had attacked a terrorist gang in southern Gaza Saturday night, minutes after the attack on Ashkelon. Two terrorists affiliated with Islamic Jihad were reported killed in that raid. The IDF has not yet commented on the report. Earlier, IDF forces attacked a terrorist gang in the southern Gaza Strip that was preparing to launch long-range rockets at Israeli targets. The gang was also responsible for the firing of a Grad rocket towards southern Israel this past Wednesday. Five terrorists were reported killed in the attack. In a statement, the IDF said that it "would not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers, and will continue to operate with strength and determination against anyone who uses terror against the State of Israel. The Hamas terror organization is solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip."

Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Brigade terror gangs took responsibility for Saturday's Grad attacks. Footage released by Islamic Jihad Saturday night showed terrorists firing the rockets at Israel using a portable rocket launcher installed on the back of a pickup truck – a method of attack that had not been used in Gaza previously. Media analysts said that the footage indicated that Gaza terror groups had developed several advanced capabilities in recent months.

Earlier, Gaza Arab terrorists fired over a half a dozen Grad rockets at Ashdod. One of them hit the yard of a school in Ashdod, and another struck in the parking lot of an apartment building. Two classrooms were damaged in the first attack, and a dozen cars were destroyed in the second. Three people were injured in attacks on Ashdod and Gan Yavneh. Classes in schools within 40 kilometers of the Gaza border, including in Be'ersheva, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Sederot, are cancelled Sunday. Dozens of people were treated for shock in Saturday's attack.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/149199

[henank]

1. More on this

http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=243647

One man was killed and four people wounded when southern Israel was bombarded with long-range Grad rockets by Islamic Jihad in Gaza on Saturday. The barrage came after five terrorists were killed in IAF strikes on targets in the Strip.

The man was badly injured by shrapnel from a rocket fired at a residential neighborhood in Ashkelon. He was rushed to the Barzilai Medical Center in the city for emergency care, but doctors were unable to save his life. A second rocket fired at Ashkelon directly struck a home, setting gas containers on fire. Fire crews doused the flames.
...
Schools in Ashdod, Beersheba and Kiryat Malachi were cancelled by local officials, and the IDF Home Front Command has asked members of the public who live in areas up to 40 kilometers from Gaza to stay within close range of protected areas.
...
Ashdod bore the brunt of the attack, and was targeted by at least three Grad rockets. One slammed into an empty school, and a second fell in the nearby Gan Yavne Regional Council, moderately injuring a man who was searching for his son outside.

TV footage showed a bloodstained pavement where the man had sustained the injury, before running indoors and contacting paramedics.

A third rocket slammed into a parking lot in between two multi-story residential buildings in Ashdod.

"Ashdod is under attack, without a doubt," said the city's mayor, Yehiel Lari. The latter rocket set several vehicles on fire and left behind extensive wreckage. The flames were doused by Israel Fire and Rescue crews, who also broke into homes in nearby buildings to rescue civilians.

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2. And yet, some find it implausible that Israel is not subjected to daily doses of terrorism

I wonder how many news stories must they read before it sinks in.