Gaza terrorists fired a rocket at the western Negev on Wednesday night. The “Color Red” rocket alert was heard in towns throughout the Eshkol region, and a short time later a strike was reported in an open area. No injuries were reported in the attack.
The rocket firing followed on the heels of a Tuesday bombing that killed one IDF soldier and wounded three others before Israel responded by destroying three smuggling tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border.
Eshkol regional council head Chaim Yalin called on the government to respond to Wednesday's attack as well. “We expect the government not to give in to the policy of restraint, and to respond harshly in order to protect residents,” he said.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak canceled a planned visit to Washington on Wednesday following Tuesday's attack., explaining he would remain in Israel to coordinate the IDF response to events in Gaza.
While Israel announced a unilateral ceasefire with Hamas over a week ago, Hamas has continued to attack the western Negev despite declaring its own truce. The group's leaders rejected Israel's ceasefire terms on Wednesday, although Gaza terrorists have refrained from firing on major Israeli cities since the end of the Cast Lead operation in Gaza.