New rocket technology that has reached the hands of Hamas terrorists in Gaza has placed fully one quarter of all Israeli schoolchildren within range of missile attacks.
Education Minister Yuli Tamir shared the news Monday during a tour of communities and schools in the Gaza Belt region. Tamir said that one quarter of Israeli schools are now within range of rocket attacks launched from Gaza.
Tamir added that currently only schools in the immediate Gaza Belt region will be fortified against the attacks. She noted that more fortification might be required in the future.
Meanwhile, Gaza terrorists broke the uneasy calm brokered by Egyptian mediators with a mortar attack on the western Negev early Monday afternoon after nearly 24 hours of quiet. One mortar shell was fired at the Eshkol region at approximately 2:00 p.m. Within two hours, a second attack was initiated with the launch of a Kassam rocket aimed at Jewish communities in the Gaza Belt region.
Monday evening, Gaza terrorists fired on IDF soldiers as they patrolled the security barrier near the Sufa Crossing. A separate terrorist cell also attempted to fire two mortar shells at the Jewish community of Netiv Ha'Asara, but the shells fell short, landing instead within Gaza.
The attacks came despite a statement by a Hamas spokesman that the terrorists had halted their fire against Israel at the request of the Egyptians.
Ayman Taha told the Reuters news agency earlier Monday that Hamas and other terrorist factions had agreed to hold their fire “in order to show that the problem was always on the Israeli side.”
No one was hurt and no damage was reported in either attack.