1 killed in mortar attack

A 48-year-old father of three was killed in Kibbutz Kfar Aaza Friday evening after a mortar shell fired from Gaza hit his house in the kibbutz.

Two mortars fired by Palestinian gunmen landed in the kibbutz, one fell close to the local community hall and the other landed on a house.

Three people were injured in the attack. A soldier was moderately injured by shrapnel and evacuated by helicopter to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. Two other people sustained light injuries and several others suffered shock.

Hamas' military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the mortar attack.

People in mosques across Gaza were heard cheering and calling "Allahu Akbar" following reports of the deadly attack.

MK Shai Hermseh, a member of the kibbutz, said that the man killed was inside his house at the time of the attack. "This situation is unbearable, not fortifying our houses or taking any action, we live in a firing range," he stated.

Three Qassam rockets and several mortars have been fired at the area since the morning hours.

Two Qassam rockets were fired from Gaza Thursday: One landed in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council and the other in an open area in the western Negev. A third rocket landed within Gaza. No injuries or damage were reported.

The IAF struck in northern Gaza on Thursday: Palestinian sources reported that four Islamic Jihad operatives were injured in the incident, two of them severely. Earlier, the IDF announced it had attacked a Qassam cell identified in northern Gaza. The soldiers reportedly confirmed a hit.
(Y Net News)