At just past 7 AM on Tuesday, Gaza terrorists launched a Grad rocket which landed between buildings in a residential neighborhood in central Ashkelon smashing into the rear of a vacated bus. It was the first rocket to hit Ashkelon since the ceasefire.
Ynet's Shmulik Hadad reports on the
Grad which hit central Ashkelon:
An air raid siren sounded in the city of Ashkelon shortly after 7 am Tuesday, followed by an explosion.
A Grad rocket landed between buildings in a residential neighborhood in the city center as residents were making their way to school and to work. Three people suffered shock, several cars were damaged and windowpanes were shattered.
Rafi Zvi, a bus driver, was making his way from the city's central bus station. "The siren sounded as I left the station and began driving. I screamed to the passengers to get out immediately. There are sometimes those who are very confident and just stay there, but this time I had a bad feeling and I virtually pushed the passengers out.
"We ran towards the Israel Electric building, and as we escaped we saw the missile above our heads and heard a loud explosion. The back part of the bus, where quite a few passengers had been sitting, was shattered. We were really lucky, it was simply a miracle."
Hana Levi Julian of Israel National News adds:
One woman was lightly injured in the attack, and a number of people suffered severe emotional trauma. They were evacuated to Barzilai Medical Center in the city by Magen David Adom medics who raced to the scene.
A parent called in to the radio station to say that group of parents... decided to keep their children home and that the Ashkelon Parents' Committee would meet Tuesday evening to determine "where we will go from here." He added that the current situation was a return to the reality that was in place prior to Operation Cast Lead.
"They can decide what they want, and they can open the schools and the nurseries," said the listener, "but that doesn't mean we have to send our children. A rocket falls 50 meters from a kindergarten... we are talking about the lives of our children here."
So, things are getting back to "normal", with rocket attacks resuming from Gaza. When will Israel go back in and finish the job?
