Israel Matzav

Liveblog: 2 killed in Beersheva by Grad rocket (with video)

Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.

This is the first live post of the evening - the blog was supposed to be on autopilot for a while longer, but I am breaking in due to events that have occurred.

Two people have been killed in Beersheva within the last hour by a Grad rocket shot from Gaza. It was one of 55 rockets shot at Southern Israel this weekend. [Updated below - one dead and one critical. CiJ]

I have video of the fatal rocket. You can see 6 intercepted, 2 rockets gone through, landed and killed 2 people.

Let's go to the videotape (Hat Tip: Judeamail).



I'll post more updates shortly.

UPDATE 10:29 PM

Here's JPost with a summary of the incident.

One man died Saturday from injuries sustained when a rocket fired from Gaza exploded in Beersheba. Sirens were heard in Beersheba shortly before a rocket salvo landed in the city, hitting a vehicle and private residence. Sirens could be heard throughout the city shortly before the blast.

Six others were being treated at Soroka University medical Center in Beersheba for injuries they sustained when they were caught running indoors as the rocket barrage landed in the city. Two were in mortal condition, two were in serious condition, and two others sustained moderate injuries. The attack was one in a wider barrage of rockets, with locals reporting hearing at least 11 explosion.

Moments before, a Grad rocket from Gaza landed on a home in Ofakim, starting a fire and sending shrapnel and debris flying that injured a four-month-old baby, a nine-year-old boy and a man in his early 20s. Emergency crews put out the fire and paramedics evacuated the three to the Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba to be treated for light injuries.

Three other Grad rockets were fired from Gaza at the city, one of which landed on a business causing no injuries.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the rockets fired at Beersheba and Ofakim, Channel 2 reported. Saturday morning, they had announced an end to the two-year-old truce with Israel.

In the afternoon, a Grad rocket fired from the Gaza Strip toward Ashkelon was intercepted by the Iron Dome rocket defense system. The Color Red warning siren was sounded in the city prior to the interception. Later five mortars landed in the Eshkol regional council, one of which landed in an area kibbutz causing light damage to one building. Sixteen rockets from Gaza landed in the Eshkol Regional Council alone over the weekend.

Israel Radio just interviewed an eyewitness who said that a man in a car was killed and the man's wife was wounded. The couple had acted in accordance with IDF procedures.

There were more rockets on Saturday morning.

Early Saturday morning, three Palestinians working in Israel were injured when a number of Grad rockets exploded in southern Ashdod.

Emergency sirens could be heard throughout the city before the blasts. A paramedics team that was dispatched to the site of the blast in Ashdod said it was treating three men in their 20s for injuries including shrapnel to the neck, chest, and other parts of the body. Two were in serious condition.

Later Saturday morning, a Grad rocket exploded in an open field north of Beersheba in the Bnei Shimon Regional Council. Eight people were hospitalized at Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba with light injuries sustained while running for shelter as rocket sirens sounded and suffering from shock.

There's much more. Read the whole thing.

UPDATE 10:45 PM

You have 30 seconds in Ashkelon, 45 seconds in Ashdod and 60 seconds in Beersheva.

If you have no shelter, lie down on the ground. Get out of your car.

Yes, really, that's what Israel Radio just told us.

Press conference now on Channel 1 television and the radio with police commander Danino and Internal Security Minister Aharonovitch.

Hamas is completely responsible - not any other organization. Israel will react very strongly to these attacks. The shooting must stop. Hamas cannot allow rockets to be shot at the State of Israel. We can't have rockets shot all over Israel. Hamas will pay dearly for this.

Civilians cannot wander around outside because this is what Hamas is seeking. People are screaming at the minister that if this were Tel Aviv the government would have reacted already (search NotInMyBackYard on my blog - they are correct). If the terrorists had shot rockets at Tel Aviv, the planes would be in the air already and the reservists would be called up. And yet, in the south, the police say that the shooting will continue for the next several days. Wonderful.

Netanyahu has called together his kitchen cabinet - the eight ministers. Now they're discussing how to deal with the rockets that Hamas has imported over the last two years. Now they are breaking out the rockets.

By the way, Israel Radio just said that there is only one dead as of now. I was misinformed.

UPDATE 10:55 PM

One dead and seven wounded in Beersheva. Of the wounded, one critical and two serious.

UPDATE 11:03 PM

Hamas has removed from its website a notice taking responsibility for fire on Ashdod this evening. The PRC (Popular Resistance Committee) has taken responsibility for the rockets on Beersheva. [Sorry - Ofakim not Ashdod].

Israel Radio once again in the constant news mode.

The person who was killed was in a house that was hit by a rocket. But the IDF says that most of the people who were wounded did not follow instructions - they were out looking for rockets. They are stressing over and over again to go into a shelter and not look for the Iron Dome show. I'll have two more videos from the Iron Dome show below. The police chief complained in the press conference that there are children wandering in the streets. Please watch your children! (I'm sure the non-Israelis are incredulous at that, but young kids are often in the streets here until 10:00 and 11:00 at night, because there is almost no crime - just terrorists. Not my kids - they have a very strict father). Israel Radio's southern correspondent confirms that many people were outside. He said that the people who were hurt had hidden behind a wall on the far side of the house, but the wall collapsed and they were hit by shrapnel.

UPDATE 11:15 PM

Here are two more videos of Iron Dome in action this evening. Here's the first one.

Let's go to the videotape.



UPDATE 11:16 PM

There's another rocket in the Lachish area. This is a Grad. They're not saying yet where it hit - they don't want to help the shooters to aim.

And here's the second video.

Let's go to the videotape.



UPDATE 11:23 PM

Israel Radio's military correspondent Carmela Menashe confirms that the plan on Thursday was to kidnap soldiers and that the IDF had warnings of an attack in the specific area where it took place but did not stop it.

Now they're interviewing the person who was behind the car in which four people were killed on Thursday. He's very critical of the IDF's handling of Thursday's terror attack.

UPDATE 11:51 PM

Three more rockets: Ashkelon, Shaar HaNegev and Eshkol regions. No injuries, no damage.

UPDATE SUNDAY 12:00 AM

The Beersheva attack totals are one dead, one critically wounded, two seriously wounded and two moderately wounded. Everyone else is lightly wounded.

The police commissioner says that no one would have been hurt in Beersheva had people acted according to the instructions from the IDF Home Front.

Mini-cabinet meeting (eight senior members) now in Tel Aviv. No regular cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Terrorists on Thursday had equipment to kidnap soldiers and civilians. There were eight terrorists who were all killed. There were several cells. IDF did not aim for Egyptian soldiers who were killed - they may also have been attacked by 'Palestinians.' Israel's ambassador to Egypt has apologized for killing of Egyptian soldiers on Thursday and has offered to establish a joint investigation.

UPDATE 12:12 AM

Police on high alert in the south and in Jerusalem until further notice.

UPDATE 2:00 AM

The rocket fire continues. Four more rockets have hit in the Eshkol region in the last hour. All hit open areas and there was no damage and no injuries.

Correction on Beersheva. One killed, one critically injured, two seriously injured, two moderately injured and two lightly injured.

In Ofakim, where a rocket hit a house, there were three people lightly injured, one of them a four-month old baby.

Labels: Beersheva, Gaza, Grad rocket, Hamas, Popular Resistance Committee

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:16 PM