World Jewish News

Home damaged by Qassam rocket in western Negev community, March 26, 2011. Photo by: Eliyahu Hershkovitz, Haaretz.com

Qassam strikes near southern Israel home

A rocket landed and exploded right outside a family home in a community located in the western Negev region overnight on Friday. No casualties were reported as a result of the rocket, but the family home suffered considerable damage.
No government-mandated specially-reinforced rooms which help protect a home's residents from rocket attacks have yet been built in the community in which the rocket fell. A second rocket fell in an open field nearby, causing no damage to people or property.Cross-border tensions between Israel and Gaza have been escalating recently, the latest being two Grad rockets and a Qassam fired at southern Israel from Gaza on Thursday. One of the rockets struck north of Ashdod and could be heard in Yavneh, some 25 kilometers from Tel Aviv.
The rocket attacks came hours after Defense Minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz announced the activation of the Iron Dome defense system in the south of the country. Barak said he approved the deployment of the system as an operational experiment and the IDF has said it will be operational in a few days.
The Iron Dome defense system is a main component of Israel's defense against the homemade and imported rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, as well as the longer range rockets in the hands of Hezbollah guerrillas on Israel's border with Lebanon.
GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Tal Russo arrived at the site of the blast and said, "There is anarchy in Gaza, inside Hamas and inside the other [militant] organizations. No group exerts control there. It's difficult for Hamas to turn back the clock."
Asked if the IDF would launch a large 'Operation Cast Lead 2' type of military operation in Gaza in response, Russo said that it is not dependent upon Israel but upon the other side. "We are trying to afford citizens of the south normal lives, and these aren't exactly normal lives," he said. "We will bring these citizens peace and quiet. That is our aim."
Russo added, "The situation has eroded since Cast Lead. The other side is starting to get forgetful. I hope that they get a hold of themselves."
Defense Minister Barak said Thursday that Israel considers Hamas responsible for any rocket and mortar attacks originating from Gaza.
In a joint press conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Barak said that because Hamas is in power in Gaza, they are responsible for the actions of Islamic Jihad and other factions in the Strip, saying Hamas must control these groups.

Haaretz.com