Qassam in western Negev (archive photo)
Photo: Rafi Babian
Teen moderately wounded by Qassam in south
Qassam fired by Palestinians in Gaza strikes Kibbutz Erez greenhouse; 15-year-old moderately wounded in attack, few others suffer from anxiety; ‘it is clear that we will eventually have to go to war to stop the rocket-fire,’ head of security at southern community says
A 15-year-old boy sustained mild to moderate wounds from shrapnel and a number of people suffered from anxiety early Wednesday when a Qassam rocket fired by Palestinians in Gaza landed near Kibbutz Erez in the south.
Another rocket landed in an open field near Kibbutz Nir Am but apparently caused no injuries or damage. In Sderot loud explosions were heard and residents entered secure areas.
Yoav Peled, head of Shaar Hanegev Regional Council security said, “The rocket directly hit one of the kibbutz’s greenhouses, injuring the teen; another female family member suffered from anxiety. The damage done to the greenhouse is relatively severe, and the tomato crop there was also damaged.”
Palestinians have been firing rockets nearly every morning in the past few days, but the attacks last only a few hours. Shaar Hanegev officials noted that Kibbutz Erez does not have protected areas and the residents are not shielded from Qassam rocket fire.
Gil Taasa, head of security at the Nativ Ha’asara, which is located near Wednesday’s rocket landing sites, said “the Israeli government has been ignoring the Qassam fire for six years now, and it is clear that we will eventually have to go to war to stop the rocket-fire, as was the case in Lebanon – but it will be too late because the Palestinians are constantly arming themselves; we should act now before an inquiry commission is set up in a few years to investigate the matter.”
