An Israeli teacher comforts a student, center, after a rocket, fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip, hit their school in the town of Sderot, southern Israel, Thursday, May 17, 2007.... (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Two students were lightly injured and others traumatized Thursday morning when a Kassam rocket slammed into an unfortified second-story classroom in a high school in Sha'ar HaNegev.
Graduating students were studying for their final exams on the floor below at the time. One classroom sustained heavy damage.Another person was lightly wounded shortly after when a rocket crashed into an unfortified school building next to Sapir College in Sderot. Several others suffered anxiety attacks. It was not clear why anyone was in the school building, inasmuch as classes in Sderot were cancelled for a second day on Thursday due to the dangerous conditions.
By midday, 13 rockets had exploded in the area, including one that hit a building, traumatizing a woman and her 9-year-old daughter. Another rocket slammed into a yard next to a house. Later in the morning, several greenhouses were damaged in an attack on a community near southern Gaza.
The "Red Color" rocket launch alert system failed to warn residents of the first incoming missiles, eliminating the chance of reaching whatever shelter might be available in time to avoid the attack. The alert system then wailed through the rest of the morning as Sderot residents scrambled to take cover wherever they could each time a rocket was fired at the city.
School in Sderot was called off for the day. The daily commuter newspaper Yisraeli reported that some of the students will be sent to learn at schools in Be’er Sheva and other southern communities. The Education Department is reportedly trying to find a comprehensive solution for all the city’s students; high school graduation exams are coming up. The option of conducting classes in the bomb shelters is also being considered.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Olmert promised to "meet any Arab leader anywhere for peace."
On Wednesday his Office released a statement: it was decided to approve a "series of actions aimed at hitting the Kassam rocket launchers and their commanders, to disrupt their ability to fire the rockets and to damage the terrorist infrastructure."
Good idea, Ollie. When do we start?
And just you never mind al Reuters; they're going to paint Israel as the bad guy no matter what.
GAZA (Reuters) - Fighting between rival Palestinian factions in Gaza abated on Thursday after a new ceasefire deal but Israel threatened to step up attacks on militants firing rockets across the border.
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