A home in the southern Israeli settlement of Sderot was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza Strip on Friday morning. This was the second time that this home has been hit. One woman was treated for emotional trauma following the attack, Israeli army spokeswoman Luba al-Sumari said.
Another landed in an open area nearby. No injuries or damage were reported.
Later in the day, five Grad rockets fired from Gaza has hit the Israeli city of Ashkelon. The short-range missiles exploded in open areas and caused no damage or physical injuries, an Israeli army spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities said two rockets and a mortar shell were fired into southern Israel, late Thursday. No one was hurt, and no damage was reported in those attacks.
On his part, Israeli civil defense minister Avi DichterAvi Dichter visited the house in Sderot that was hit on Friday morning. He said "Israel will have to create a greater deterrence that will bring about a halt to the terror activity".
However, he said "Israel could not allow itself to be dragged into such action, but rather to decide for itself when to initiate it at a time that is right for Israel".
Islamist militant faction the Shura Council of Mujahideen ideologically affiliated with Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for all attacks.
They said in a statment that they would continue their attacks targeting Israeli areas near Gaza, in response to its crimes against Palestinians,
Nevertheless, Israel did not leave these attacks without reply, but in general the response was unusual, indicating that Israel might go for their threats for a huge military operation against the Gaza Strip.
In an initial response to rockets fired from Gaza into southern Israel, Israeli F16 fighter jets have set off sonic booms over Gaza Strip, as another Israeli warplanes opened fire on the neighborhood of Tal al-Hawa, leaving a large crater in an empty area of land.
Furthermore, an Israeli tank shel injured three Palestinians including a women, on Thursday, with one of them critically injured, in east of Gaza city. For her part, an Israeli army spokeswoman said she was not familiar with the incident, according to AFP news agency.
Gaza Strip is very concerned, in particular that the drones are still in the sky over Gaza which confirms the expected aerial bombardment on Gaza City, this night.
Opinion:
Israel always blames Hamas saying, it is responsible for firing rockets, but I am a citizen living in Gaza, seeing that Hamas is preventing any Palestinian faction from firing rockets at Israel. The important point worth to mention is that ,many of Hamas leaders are convinced that there is no reason to fire at Israel as long as there is pacification.
Hamas is talking about the possibility of declaring a state in Gaza, for this, they are keen to maintain calm in Gaza Strip. In addition, Hamas is fully aware that Israeli threats are real, but there are a lot of factions that differ with Hamas intellectually and politically. These factions are the ones firing rockets on Israel.
Most residents of Gaza Strip believe that there is no benefit from firing rockets and say that the recent war wounds have not yet healed.
Sources:
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newslett er_article.php?id=5633
