| Woman killed, man seriously hurt in Qassam strike on Sderot | |
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| By Yuval Yoaz and Mijal Grinberg, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and Agencies |
An Israeli woman was killed and a man was seriously wounded Wednesday morning by a Qassam rocket in a residential area of the western Negev town of Sderot, close to the home of Defense Minister Amir Peretz.
The woman was later named as 57-year-old Fatima Slutsker, a resident of the town. The wounded man, who lost both his legs, was identified as Peretz' 24-year-old bodyguard.
Both were taken to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon for treatment, where the woman died of her wounds.
Islamic Jihad and militants affiliated with the ruling Palestinian movement Hamas both claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the Palestinians acted in self defense.
"The occupation hasn't stopped attacking Palestinians before or after Beit Hanun, so we say resistance is a right of Palestinians," Barhoum said.
The militant groups said the rocket fire was meant to avenge the deaths of 18 civilians killed last week in IDF shelling of an apartment compound in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun.
Seven Qassam rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip on the western Negev on Wednesday morning, three of them landing in Sderot.
David Baker, an official in the Prime Minister's Office, told Haaretz on Wednesday that, "Palestinian terrorists will not be able to zero in on Israeli civilians. We will take whatever steps are incumbent on us to stop these attacks and defend our people."
Earlier Wednesday, an anti-tank RPG missile was fired at an Israel Defense Forces vehicle patrolling the northern Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported, but the vehicle sustained some damage.
On Tuesday evening, three rockets landed in Sderot, causing damage to property. Three people were treated for shock due to the barrage.
'We can't protect Sderot schools'
The deadly attack comes a day after the state told the High Court of Justice that there is no way to protect Sderot schoolchildren from the threat of Qassam missiles, as it would be impossible to reinforce all classrooms in the city before the start of the next school year.
The state wants the court to reject two petitions filed by Sderot residents demanding the reinforcement of all educational institutions in the town and its environs against Qassams.
"There is no disputing that studying in the non-reinforced classrooms entails a certain security risk to students," the state argued in its response.
"However, it seems that for the time being, there is no alternative. This risk is not significantly different from the risk to which students are exposed en route from home to school and back, by bus or private car, which of course are not reinforced against Qassam missiles, or from the risk to which they are exposed during the day when they are in many other places besides reinforced classrooms..."
The petitions, filed by the Parents Committee in Sderot, and parents of students at the Sha'ar Hanegev regional school, ask the court to instruct the Defense Ministry to immediately reinforce the roofs of all educational institutions in Sderot or to provide an alternative solution that will protect the buildings from Qassams, and to immediately provide NIS 210 million for Sderot and nearby communities to complete "critical" reinforcement programs. ITS
In response, the Promised been to complete the reinforcement of homeroom classrooms only in Sha'ar Hanegev by November 23, But reinforcement work on the 24 other schools in the area is not expected to be completed before next autumn.
The deadly attack comes a day after the state told the High Court of Justice that there is no way to protect Sderot schoolchildren from the threat of Qassam missiles, as it would be impossible to reinforce all classrooms in the city before the start of the next school year.
The state wants the court to reject two petitions filed by Sderot residents demanding the reinforcement of all educational institutions in the town and its environs against Qassams.
"There is no disputing that studying in the non-reinforced classrooms entails a certain security risk to students," the state argued in its response.
"However, it seems that for the time being, there is no alternative. This risk is not significantly different from the risk to which students are exposed en route from home to school and back, by bus or private car, which of course are not reinforced against Qassam missiles, or from the risk to which they are exposed during the day when they are in many other places besides reinforced classrooms..."
The petitions, filed by the Parents Committee in Sderot, and parents of students at the Sha'ar Hanegev regional school, ask the court to instruct the Defense Ministry to immediately reinforce the roofs of all educational institutions in Sderot or to provide an alternative solution that will protect the buildings from Qassams, and to immediately provide NIS 210 million for Sderot and nearby communities to complete "critical" reinforcement programs. ITS
In response, the Promised been to complete the reinforcement of homeroom classrooms only in Sha'ar Hanegev by November 23, But reinforcement work on the 24 other schools in the area is not expected to be completed before next autumn.
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