As Cease-fire Deadline Nears, Rockets Resume, Southern Israelis ‘Fed Up With Counting Down’ (VIDEO)
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by Dave Bender
gaza rocket warning map (courtesy, http://muqata.blogspot.com/)
Two hours before a 72-hour cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza expired, Palestinian terrorists renewed rocket fire against Israelis living near the Gaza Strip.
At about 21:50, Red Alert sirens heralding incoming rocket fire wailed in a dozen Israeli communities near Gaza, Israel Radio reported. Israel Police said there were no physical injuries or damage from the missiles.
Several residents of southern Israel shared their feelings about coping with the tense situation, with The Algemeiner.
“I can’t believe it,” said Adele Raemer of Kibbutz Nirim, alongside Gaza. “Really. These past 70 hours have been too good to be true. That is NOT a normal thing to say about not being shot at. 🙁 “, Raemer wrote on a group Facebook page.
Initial reports said Iron Dome downed a rocket in an open area near Ashkelon, some five kilometers north of Gaza, according to Army radio. Other reports said three rockets were detected.
“Nobody knows what to expect,” Ashkelon resident Andi Moradian told The Algemeiner shortly before one rocket was shot down over her city.
Palestinian sources said they heard explosions in northern Gaza. It is unclear if the blasts were from the outgoing rockets. A Hamas spokesman denied that his group had fired the rockets.
This is the seventh cease-fire Hamas has broken, Israeli officials said.
“One thing is for certain, even if there is ‘peace’ tomorrow that only means that they (Hamas) are already preparing for their next attack, which could be at any time. None of us are ever going to feel safe. We will all always be waiting for the next siren,” Moradian said.
“I feel like I am living in a countdown…” Sara-Sandy Zanger Gabai told The Algemeiner. The 60-something teacher lives in Gan Yavne, some 30 kilometers northeast of Gaza.
“The countdown got to zero a bit early,” she noted laconically, after the rocket salvo.
“We have had a few Grads fall in our town, and a lot of Iron Dome intercepts. but nothing like the ‘otef aza’ (Gaza Envelope) area,” she noted.
“At the moment … I feel we have to get to a situation where this is settled once and for all. Our mayor said there is no such thing as שגרת חרו×. (‘standard emergency’) – we can’t let the ×—×¨×•× emergency become שגרה standard.”
In a propaganda video posted to Youtube on Wednesday, Hamas showed the process behind the construction of long-range rockets.
Israeli analysts and some Arab observers say Hamas receives the heavier rocket from Iran, and the video may be an attempt to show its independence:
