Palestinian Authority terrorists in Gaza launched a barrage of mortar shells and Kassam rocket fire at Israeli communities in the western Negev Wednesday, marking the arrival of US President George W. Bush for a three-day visit.
By evening, at least 15 mortars and Kassam rockets had rained down on southern Israel, with many hitting the besieged city of Sderot.
Three people in the city were rushed to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon after an attack late in the afternoon. One of the victims was a 17-year-old girl who was hit in the hand by shrapnel. A 60-year-old man complained of chest pains, and a third person fell and was injured while running for cover from the incoming missiles.
The attacks began well before Bush's midday arrival in Israel, with the first barrage of five rockets and shells slamming into Sderot at 8:00 a.m., when many Israeli children were going to school and their parents were going to work.
One of the missiles slammed into a house, landing in a young child's bedroom. Miraculously, the three-week-old baby was in his mother's arms in the shelter to which she ran when the Color Red alert siren wailed. Three people were treated for shock in the aftermath of the attack, including the boy's mother.
At midday, at least nine Kassam rockets had been fired at Israel. Three were aimed at the southern coastal city of Ashkelon, several others at Negev kibbutzim. Most targeted Sderot. Several landed near the security fence.
The Salah a-Din Brigades, a terror gang under the banner of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist group, claimed responsibility for the morning's attacks.
The Israel Air Force killed two terrorists and wounded six others in a targeted air strike on an Islamic Jihad terrorist cell that was firing mortar shells in Beit Lahiyeh in northern Gaza, according to both Israeli and PA sources.
