Gaydamak brings portable shelters to Sderot

Billionaire Arcadi Gaydamak arrived in the rocket-battered town of Sderot Tuesday with a convoy of trucks carrying five new portable bomb shelters that he has donated to the municipality.

Three Qassam rockets landed in the western Negev during Gaydamak's visit in Sderot, and three mortar shells fired from northern Gaza landed near the Gaza border fence. No injuries or damage were reported in the attacks.

Gaydamak, who was greeted by residents chanting "Arcadi the king," told Ynet that the shelters would be placed in various public locations in town, including schools and supermarkets, "So that the residents will truly be protected."

According to the businessman, the new portable shelters have been upgraded to provide protection against missiles, Katyushas and Grad rockets. "At the moment we are only bringing five (shelters), but if there's demand for more, we shall consider it positively.

Gaydamak and the bomb shelters (Photo: Ze'ev Trachtman)

"If I haven't done enough, I regret it. I try to do the best I can, with the cooperation of municipality officials, who will help obtain the necessary permits and find spots in which to place the structures."

Gaydamak's representative in Sderot Batya Katar said: "We are very pleased that Gaydamak has once again proved he is truly helping the people of Sderot. These shelters should have been brought here by the government, instead of the old ones that do not provide sufficient answer to Qassams.

"It's a shame that a private individual has to step in and fulfill the government's role. I think that the manner in which the residents welcomed him testifies to how much they appreciate what he is doing."

Ze'ev Trachtman and Shmulik Hadad contributed to the report