Israeli woman killed in barrage of Palestinian rocket attacks

An Israeli woman was killed and another man seriously wounded on Wednesday morning as a total of six Qassam rockets, launched from the Gaza Strip, fell in southern Israeli town of Sderot and western Negev on Wednesday.

The 57-year-old woman was killed when a rocket landed in a residential area of Sderot, where a 24-year-old man was also critically injured.

The wounded young man was guarding at Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz's house in Sderot city when the rocket exploded next to him. It was reported that the leg of the guard has been amputated.

Several other residents of Sderot were treated for shock.

In the wake of the deadly rocket attack, local residents in Sderot were gripped by a great panic and parents rushed to schools to take their children home.

Except from the rocket that caused casualties, five other rockets were also launched into Israel on Wednesday but caused no injuries.

Among the rest, one rocket also landed in Sderot while the other four landed on open fields in western Negev.

Several Palestinian militant groups, including armed wings of the Islamic Jihad (Holy War) and the ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), have claimed responsibilities for launching the homemade rockets from northern Gaza Strip at Sderot.

A Jihad spokesman told a Palestinian local radio following the attack that it was Jihad's armed wing Al-Quds Brigades that "launched two mid-range rockets at the settlement at 8:05 a.m."

Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades of the Hamas movement also issued a written statement, saying they have fired two rockets into the same town half an hour ahead of the Jihad attack.

The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) also claimed its responsibility for launching two more rockets.

Palestinian militant groups have vowed earlier to avenge an Israeli large-scale military operation in norther Gaza two weeks ago with more attacks on Israel.

During Israel's six-day Operation Autumn Clouds in northern Gaza, which aimed at stemming rocket firing from Palestinian side on Israel, more than 85 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip, sparking the strong rebound of the Palestinian militant groups' resistance.

Although Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had called on the Palestinian factions to refrain from firing rockets on Israel, the rocket attacks seemed to increase on the contrary.

The militants have their own views on the rocket attacks on Israel.

Abu Hamza, the spokesman of the Islamic Jihad's brigades, told a Palestinian local radio that "Our bombardment comes in response to the Israeli assassinations, military operations and massacres committed against our Palestinian people."

He added that "We will continue the attacks until the enemy leaves our land and until our women and children enjoy security."

In response to the Palestinian attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Wednesday vowed to revenge, saying that the militants behind the attack would "pay a heavy price."

"We will move against those who are involved in the firing of rockets, starting from their leaders and down to the last of their terrorists," Peretz was quoted by Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth as saying.

It was reported that Peretz has planned to convene a special meeting of senior security officials later in the day.

In early November, Israel unleashed a major military offensive into northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, saying the border town was the launching site of numerous rocket attacks against Israel,

Instead of halting rocket firing by Palestinian militants, Israeli artillery shells killed some 19 civilians in Beit Hanoun on Nov. 8, triggering more Palestinian retaliative attacks on Israel.

Source: Xinhua