Mortar fire victim Jimmy Kedushim, 48, was laid to rest in the Kfar Aza cemetery as projectiles continued to rain down on the western Negev Sunday afternoon.
Rockets pound western Negev
A number of mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel late Sunday afternoon.
Earlier Sunday afternoon, four people were treated for shock in separate incidents as two Kassam rockets fired from northern Gaza hit Sderot.
One of the Kassams landed in the grounds of Sapir College in Sderot, causing damage to a building. One woman suffered from shock.
A number of cars in the vicinity of the explosion at the college were damaged.
The second rocket landed near a children's school bus, and a Magen David Adom team treated three children for shock. A number of the bus's windows were smashed, and a small fire broke out in the area.
The armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigade, the claimed responsibility for the attack.
No casualties were reported.
These incidents came after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's remarks earlier in the day that Hamas was responsible for all Kassam rocket and mortar shell fire which emanates from the Gaza Strip.
"Let it be clear - we view Hamas as completely responsible for everything that happens in the Gaza Strip," Olmert said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. "We are not planning to accept the [current situation]."
"It won't end in one day or one week, we haven't promised this and don't intend to promise this. But I will promise one thing: Either there will be quiet or we will act with such force that will impose quiet."
Public Security Minister Avi Dichter also commented on the situation in the Gaza Strip, saying that it was in danger of spreading to the West Bank, and warning that Egyptian efforts to moderate a cease-fire were not producing results.
"There are problems with the Egyptian moderation in Gaza, in that arms are being smuggled all the time from Egyptian territory to Gaza," Dichter said during the meeting.
"Hamas is interested in getting to the same point in the West Bank that Hizbullah has gotten to in Lebanon - to be in control without bearing the responsibility of the population," he said, adding that "under no circumstances can we allow that. We must maintain the separation between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, where Hamas is in charge and bears responsibility."
Dichter also expressed doubts that the upcoming visit of Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman to Israel would be successful in producing a cease-fire.
Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz criticized the government's response to the rocket attacks.
"The time has come to make a decision. If they don't stop terror activities of their own accord, and I am referring to Hamas, we need to return to the policy of 2004, when Hamas and terror - meaning all the terror infrastructure, all the fuel and money used for terror and everything linked to Gaza gunmen - were targeted," Mofaz told reporters before the meeting. "We need to act against these components continually with all our might in order to bring quiet to southerners."
Earlier Sunday a Hamas operative was killed in an explosion along Gaza's fence with Israel, the group said.
The Islamic group's military wing said the member was killed, and another injured, during a "holy mission." Such language is used when explosives meant for an attack on Israel explode prematurely.
The IDF said it was not operating in the area at the time of the explosion early Sunday.
Fighting has escalated since 48-year-old Jimmy Kedoshim was killed in a mortar shell attack on southern Israel on Friday. In retaliation, IDF forces fired missiles that killed five Hamas operatives.
(Jerusalem Post)
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