Israel Matzav

Grad rocket hits Ofakim

A Grad rocket hit Ofakim in the early hours of Friday morning, damaging a cattle barn and injuring three cows (call PETA and tell them). Ofakim is about 20 kilometers from Gaza and therefore does not even have a 'code red' warning system like the ones you have heard so much about in places like Sderot and Ashkelon (Hat Tip: Daily Alert).

This was the first Grad rocket to be fired from the Gaza Strip since July, and the first to hit the Ofakim area since Operation Cast Lead.

...

At around 3:15 am, residents in the Ofakim area and the Eshkol, Sdot Negev and Merhavim Regional Council reported hearing an air raid siren followed by a blast. Residents of a moshav near Netivot told Ynet that "a loud explosion was heard in the entire area."

The security forces were working to locate the rocket, but were facing difficulties due to heavy fog.

"We woke up from the explosion and went out to look, but it was dark so we went back to sleep. In the morning we woke up and saw the damage," said Yahu Madmoni, a father of three who lives in the area, and whose parents own the dairy farm hit by the rocket.

"The rocket fell 150 meters from our house, near my parents' cattle-shed. Three cows were injured, and a water container and the cattle-shed's roof were damaged. Our Thai worker, who lives not far from the landing site, got up to milk the cows and found that some of them were injured."

According to Madmoni, the rocket alert system was not activated in the night. His wife Naomi added, "Some of the cows were hurt by shrapnel and a solar water-heater was broken, but what can we do? We'll continue to live here. We don't have a fortified room or anything. There were no casualties this time, but who knows what will happen next time."

Read the whole thing.

By the way, Hamas claims they don't want another war right now. They have an interesting way of showing it.

Labels: Grad rocket, Hamas, Ofakim

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:07 AM