UPDATE 10:55 pm Israel time Sunday:
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 166
This will be the final update today. Another rocket hit the Eshkol regional council at 10:17 pm.
Let’s all hope that the people of southern Israel will have a peaceful night–sleeping in their bomb shelters.
UPDATE 10:00 pm Israel time Sunday:
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 165
The rockets continue falling fast and furiously throughout southern Israel: at 9:02 pm two rockets hit the Eshkol regional council area; at 9:12 pm, a Qassam exploded in an open area of the Negev; at 9:33 pm, red sirens for Netivot; at 9: 35 pm, a Palestinian rocket hit a residential building in Sha’ar Hanegev: no physical injuries reported. In the meantime, an Iron Dome system shot down a Grad rocket over Sdot Negev.
PM Netanyahu is sitting in his office in Jerusalem playing his fiddle while southern Israel burns. The word is that tomorrow he is meeting with foreign ambassadors to explain why action may be necessary in Gaza. Pathetic.
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UPDATE 9:00 pm Israel time Sunday:
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 158
A Qassam hit the Eshkol regional council area at 8:02 pm. Two mortars hit the Eshkol region at 8:20 pm. Red sirens for Sderot, Nir Am, and Gabim at 8:59 pm–1 minute ago.
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UPDATE 8:00 pm Israel time Sunday:
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 155
Now that the ceasefire that the IDF pleaded for from Hamas lasted exactly two minutes, the IDF has turned to Egypt and is begging and pleading with the Egyptians to intervene to stop the rocket fire. Did you ever think that Israel and the vaunted IDF would sink this low?
In the last hour, we have had five rockets hit the area around Kissufim at 7:09 pm. Another volley hit Sderot, Nir Am, and Gabim at 7:30 pm. There was a direct hit on a house in Sderot. Yet another volley struck at Sufa, Cholit, and Nir Yitzhak at 7:32. At 7:50 pm, sirens for Dekel, Yevul, Yeckher, and Sde Avram.
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UPDATE 7:00 pm Israel time Sunday:
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 144
So . . . there was supposed to have been a ceasefire at 6:00 pm . . .
At 6:02, two Qassam rockets hit the Eshkol region.
At 6:09, there were red sirens for Sdot Negev.
At 6:20, there were five additional rocket hits near the Gaza border fence.
At 6:20, there were red sirens for the Eshkol region.
At 6:45, there were red sirens for Kissufim.
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UPDATE 6:00 pm Israel time Sunday:
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 134
5 more terrorist missiles struck Israel in the last hour: 5:03 pm Sha’ar Hanegev (1), and four more at 5:20 in the Eshkol region–no alarms were sounded before the four hit.
Now we will see whether the begging and pleading of our IDF General Staff has paid off, and Hamas will really honor a ceasefire at 6:00. (Of course they won’t).
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UPDATE 5:00 pm Israel time Sunday:
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 129
It turns out that there were two Grad rockets fired at Beersheva at 2:00 but only one was shot down by the Iron Dome system. At 3:57 pm the Chof Ashkelon and Lachish regions came under fire as well as Sha’ar Hanegev. Three rockets hit the Chof Ashkelon area alone.
At 4:10, there was a break in the rain and your humble servant and his wife decided to take a short walk out to the furthest point south in Ashdod. At 4:25 pm, there was a highly concussive Iron Dome shoot down of an incoming missile almost directly over our heads. We didn’t see anything in the overcast sky except for one missile trail, but the concussive blasts left us crouching on the ground with our ears ringing (they still are)–and then heading for home. At 4:39 pm, just as we arrived at the house, there was another distinctive Iron Dome shoot down in the same area.
Neither of these attacks have been reported anywhere.
There are reports of yet another ceasefire to go into effect at 6:00 pm. You can look at the right hand column to see how ridiculous ceasefires are around here.
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UPDATE 3:00 pm Israel time Sunday:
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 121
As a backdrop to all of the missile fire coming out of Gaza, record rains have soaked Israel for the last 24 hours. The thunderstorms continue to be intense here in the south with occasional losses of power.
There have been no reports of rockets since 2:00 pm–and that rocket fired at Beersheva was intercepted by the Iron Dome system. There still seems to be no IDF response to this missile madness.
Ironically, in the north, another “spillover” mortar from Syria was met with IDF return fire this afternoon–the first time Israel has fired into Syria since 1973.
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UPDATE 2:00 pm Israel time Sunday:
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 121
Yet another victim of the ongoing Palestinian missile attacks on southern Israel. Her face has been blurred for privacy (photo: ynet news).
It is important to note that we are tied into the “red siren” system here in our house in Ashdod–meaning that each time there is a terrorist missile launch, a beeper instantly goes off on our phones and on our ipad.
But often, as you know, there is no alarm. Such was the case 55 minutes ago when, at 1:05 pm, we heard two explosions emanating from the Chof Ashkelon region that is 6 km south of our house.
In addition to the two strikes in the Chof Ashkelon region reported above, another missile was launched at 1:04 against Yad Mordechai. One minute ago, at 1:59 pm, the alarms sounded in Beersheva.
A car in Sha'ar Hanegev hit by a Palestinian Qassam this morning (photo: Haaretz).
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UPDATE 1:00 pm Israel time Sunday:
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 116.
Another hour passes with repeated rocket barrages against southern Israel: at 12:05 Sha’ar Hanegev (2), at 12:31 Chof Ashkelon (1); at 12:32, a heavy barrage against communities on Gaza border (5); at 12:35 the Erez Crossing; at 12:57, three minutes ago, at Shukta–beside Netivot (1).
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UPDATE 12:00 pm Israel time Sunday:
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 107.
The rockets continue with the last barrage 5 minutes ago at Sdot Negev and Kfar Azza.
The comedy continues with PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s paper tiger, issuing this flatulent statement during Sunday’s cabinet meeting a few hours ago: “The IDF is operating and will operate in Gaza. Terrorist organizations are taking tough blows from the IDF and Israel will not sit idly by. We are ready to toughen our response.”
Terrorist organizations are taking tough blows? Which planet is Netanyahu living on?
Israel will not sit idly by? That is precisely what Israel is doing.
We are ready to toughen our response? What in the world are you waiting for?
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UPDATE 11:00 am Israel time Sunday:
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 104.
Another victim from this morning's bombings.
Palestinian terrorists continue firing barrages of missiles and mortars at southern Israel with complete impunity: in the last hour, at 10:02 Sha’ar Hanegev (2); at 10:25 Sderot, Nir Am, and Gabim; also at 10:25 Kfar Aza, Sdot Negev, Tsa’ad; also at 10:25 Miflasim; at 10:49 Sderot, Nir Am, and Gabim again.
There was at least one direct hit on a factory in Sderot, with workers hospitalized for trauma.
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UPDATE 10 am Israel time Sunday:
A missile strike in the Eshkol region a few hours ago (source: Walla).
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 93.
Two more Qassam rockets have struck Sha’ar Hanegev in the last 15 minutes. No alarm was sounded beforehand.
We are now beginning to get reports of casualties from the rocket fire: numerous people hospitalized for “shock”; two people were hit by shrapnel while in their car at an intersection at Sha’ar Hanegev; another person was hit by shrapnel at an undisclosed location–all victims taken to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon or Soroka Hospital in Beersheva.
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UPDATE 9 am Israel time Sunday:
Total number of rockets and mortars that have now hit southern Israel since last evening: 91.
17 more terrorist rockets have hit southern Israel (Sderot, Nir Am, Gabim, Nahal Oz, Alumim, Sha’ar Hanegev) in the last hour. Sderot suffered the most intensive barrages.
It is now reported that 8 mortars hit southern Israel between 7:00 and 7:15 this morning.
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UPDATE 8 am Israel time Sunday:
The bombs keep falling and exploding all around us. More southern Israelis dash for cover (photo: Haaretz).
Six more rockets have struck southern Israel, bringing the total to 66 fired since yesterday.
It is reported that of the two soldiers critically injured in terrorist attack on the jeep yesterday, one has been upgraded to “stable” condition–while the other has been downgraded to “extremely grave” condition having just undergone surgery on his head and eyes. Israelstreet’s prayers are with both of them.
Two Islamic Jihad terrorists were killed last night while attempting to launch more rockets.
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UPDATE 7:37 am: Red sirens warning of incoming rockets for Sderot, Nir Am, Kibbutz Gabim.
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UPDATE 7:30 am and TODAY’S BLOG:
The scene taking place all over southern Israel as people run to bomb shelters as sirens scream (photo: Walla).
Today’s blog will be devoted to continuing updates on the situation here in southern Israel.
More than 60 terrorist rockets have pounded Israeli communities through yet another long and sleepless night. There have been injuries as people have run to their bomb shelters in the middle of the night. There has been emotional trauma on a massive scale.
This time the rocket pattern was different with more long-range Grads being fired. Apparently, the area just outside of Yavne (north of Ashdod) was hit with residents there reporting a large explosion. There were direct hits on houses and cars. Your humble servant cannot report all of the information he has because some of it involves “sensitive security sites.”
When the incoming rocket alarm went off here in Ashdod, the rockets came more quickly than usual. “Normally” the sirens sound for about two minutes, we get to the bomb shelter, the sirens stop, and then a minute or so later we here the rockets explode as they hit. Last night, the sirens sounded, we ran to the bomb shelter, about 30 seconds later the first loud explosion sounded (while the alarm was still blaring) very close to the right of us, then the siren went quiet and another explosion was heard somewhere to the left. While it was reported that the Iron Dome system had intercepted a missile over Ashdod, the explosions did not have the quickly successive, multiple “boom-boom” of an Iron Dome intercept.
It should be remembered that this “round” started yesterday when Hamas terrorists fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF patrol jeep on the Gaza border, cutting it in half and causing the pieces to burst into flames.
An IDF Medic at the scene of yesterday's jeep attack.
All four soldiers inside were wounded–2 critically (their condition hasn’t been reported this morning). In response, IDF artillery struck targets in Gaza killing five people and wounding around 20 more.
It appears that during the night, more attempts were made by the IAF to target would-be missile launchers and the usual smuggling tunnels. In other words, there has been no IDF assault on Hamas. And yet again, the IDF appears to be looking for excuses to do nothing. Hamas is blustering this morning that it will escalate the situation if the IDF attacks–which brings us to the obvious point that Hamas does not look at 60, 80, or even hundreds of rockets fired at the men, women, and children of southern Israel as an “escalation.”
Apparently, neither does the Israeli government or the IDF.
Simply unbelievable.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.