A 51-year-old agricultural worker from nearby Kibbutz Nirim has been identified as the victim of Thursday morning's deady mortar shell attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz in the Gaza Belt region. 

Amnon Rozenberg was working in the Nir Oz paint factory when three mortar shells were fired at the kibbutz. After the first two hit, he and several of the workers left the building to inspect the damage. It was then that Rozenberg was hit by the third mortar 120 mm. shell and was killed.

Four others were wounded by flying shrapnel, two suffering serious injuries, one with moderate wounds and one with light injuries. All were evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva.

Rozenberg, a member of Kibbutz Nirim since 1982, was also an active volunteer for the past 15 years with his local Border Guard unit. He is survived by his wife Tal and his three children, Dor, Eldar and Yarden.

Kibbutz Nir Oz is located some 25 kilometers southwest of Sderot, meaning the deadly mortar was fired from near the former Jewish towns of Gush Katif in Gaza. Ariel Sharon, who led the Disengagement from Gush Katif, often said that the goal of the unilateral withdrawal and eviction of thousands of Jews was to improve Israel's security.

The lethal mortar was one of three that were fired just a half-hour after MKs of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and officials from the Homefront Command and National Emergency Authority visited the area and heard about its security issues.

Gaza terrorists have fired mortars and rockets at the Eshkol bloc over the past several days, causing several injuries.  Just three weeks ago, 70-year-old Dr. Shuli Katz was killed by a Grad-type Katyusha missile fired at nearby Kibbutz Yesha. 

An angry Chaim Yellin, the Chairman of the Eshkol Regional Council, told Voice of Israel Radio, "All we want is normal life - nothing more!  If Gaza has to be conquered, or if an agreement has to be made, then it should be done - but no one is deciding anything! ... The state is unable to protect us." 

...No one is deciding anything! ... The state is unable to protect us.

Asked if there had been a Color Red emergency alert before the mortar slammed down, Yellin said, "Who cares? Who cares now if it was a mortar shell or a Kassam or a Katyusha, or what diameter it was? What's important now is that it is precise and it kills." 

Israel Strikes Back

Later on Thursday, Israeli Air Force pilots struck back at Gaza, confirming at least one terrorist hit in the area from where the deadly rocket had been fired. It was not clear whether the terrorist was killed.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

The IDF confirmed the air strike east of the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis, a popular spot from which terrorists often launch rocket and mortar attacks against nearby Israeli communities.  Hamas claimed that a six-year-old girl was killed and her mother was wounded by the Israeli missile.

IDF Also Confirms Terrorist Killed in Hevron

An army spokesperson also confirmed that IDF troops shot and killed a Palestinian Authority terrorist after identifying a group of gunmen in the area around the Judean city of Hevron Thursday afternoon.

The report significantly differed from the PA version, which blamed the death on a feud between two warring local clans.