17 suffer shock as Grad rocket slams into Ashkelon home
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST Feb. 28, 2008
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Seventeen people were sent into shock on Thursday after a Grad-model
Katyusha rocket hit a house in Ashkelon.

It marks the first time ever that a building in the western Negev town has
been struck in a rocket attack. Four Grad rockets hit the city in the
Thursday afternoon attack.

Moments earlier, a 70-year-old woman was lightly wounded and 14 people were
sent into shock as Kassam rockets continued to hit Sderot.

The woman was evacuated to Ashkelon's Barzilai Hospital and the shock
victims were teated at the Sderot Trauma Center after two rockets landed in
the center of the western Negev town.

A factory and several cars were damaged in the latest rocket attack on the
town, which came as Education Minister Yuli Tamir was visiting Sapir College
with President Shimon Peres .

Earlier Thursday, one of Public Security Minister Avi Dichter's security
guards was wounded when a Kassam landed at the entrance to trhe college,
where the minister was paying a visit.

The guard was hit in the leg by shrapnel and was evacuated to Barzilai
Hospital in Ashkelon. He was listed in light condition.

In total, more than 20 rockets hit the western Negev Thursday. Most of the
rockets landed in open areas, causing no casualties or damage.

During his visit, Dichter said that the solution to the rocket problem lies
in bolstering Israel's deterrence, not taking over the Gaza Strip.

"All the ideas about conquering Gaza are just not serious. Even if Gaza is
taken over tomorrow, it will take years to dismantle the terrorist
infrastructure.
Therefore, bolstering our deterrence, in the first stage, is the most
important goal, in order to give the necessary signals so that the other
side understands that it [terror activity] simply doesn't pay off," said the
public security minister.

Meanwhile, Roni Yihye, who was killed in a Kassam rocket attack on the
college the previous day, was buried in Moshav Bit'ha, near Ofakim on
Thursday afternoon.

The 47 year old was killed by shrapnel from a rocket that landed in the
parking lot of the college.

The father of four was a career soldier studying logistics at the college.

Buses took lecturers and students to the funeral from the college where
lessons were canceled to allow for as large an attendance as possible.

As a result of the incessant Kassam fire, there was an extremely low turnout
in western Negev schools Thursday, with only 60 percent of pupils attending
classes.

According to the defense establishment's directive, younger schoolchildren
must stay in protected rooms and are forbidden from playing in the
playground.