The Hamas War against Israel: A Diary - January 2008

17 Jan 2008

A morning in Sderot, as reported in Haaretz:

At 8:00, as children were arriving by bus at the Shkamim Maoz elementary school in Sderot, the Color Red alert sounded. The driver and children ran for cover. Three children, frozen in panic, stood screaming in the middle of the road. Two adults picked them up and carried them to shelter.

During the next half hour, about 10 Kassam rockets landed on Sderot. One struck the home of bus driver Eli Cohen, inflicting extensive damage, while his mother and sister were sheltering in the reinforced room.

IDF Home Front: Due to the massive Kassam rocket fire from Gaza, approximately 100 officers and soldiers have been accompanying children to schools and kindergartens. Vehicles are patrolling the city while soldiers are positioned at bus stations and on rides that deliver students to school.

15-16 Jan 2008

More than 100 rockets and mortars were fired from the Gaza Strip at communities in southern Israel during 24 hours (Jan 15-16), most targeting Sderot, where the Color Red siren was sounded 14 times on Tuesday. Toward nightfall, a rocket hit a power line and city residents remained in the dark until it was repaired.

A Grad Katyusha missile fired from northern Gaza landed near a tennis court in a southern Ashkelon neighborhood.

At least 10 people, including a 5-year-old girl, sustained shrapnel wounds. Lior Ben Schimmel, 5, was at her neighbor's house playing with their children when the attack occurred. The girl's father, Yaron, said, "I heard an explosion and saw a Kassam had hit the neighbor's house. I ran to the house and saw my daughter drenched in blood." He said his daughter had already been given psychological help to cope with the stress of living under constant attack.

The Hamas Izz al-Din al-Qassam brigades claimed responsibility for the ongoing barrage.

3 Jan 2008

An Iranian-produced 122mm Grad Katyusha rocket fired from Gaza landed in the northern part of the coastal city of Ashkelon, where a new neighborhood is under construction. No injuries or damage were reported. This is the third time that a rocket launched from Gaza hits Ashkelon. In the two previous incidents, rockets landed near the city's port and hit a local school.

PM Olmert: The firing of a long-range rocket at Ashkelon constitutes an intensification and escalation in terrorism perpetrated by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip.