
Hamas-linked terrorists in Gaza fired two, possibly three Grad Katyusha missiles Be'er Sheva Wednesday morning with the first attack from a 122-mm Grad missile having struck a residential neighborhood at about 5:30 a.m. local time.
"I felt two really loud explosions, one on either side of the building," Yocheved R. told Israel National News. "Then a third one, but at first I thought it was just a reverberation. I still am not sure what that was."
Although Home Front Command has urged residents to head for the shelters when they hear the Color Red incoming rocket alert siren, she and many others have said they don't bother. "What's the point? Many of the shelters are locked," Yocheved said. "You never know which one is open and which one is not." In addition, many of the shelters in Be'er Sheva, considered to be the "capital of the south," were built decades ago, and it is unclear whether they have been refurbished recently -- or not. "At this point, I might be safer in my own home," she added.
The Islamic Jihad's al-Quds Brigades terrorist organization issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attacks, calling them "a response to the crimes of Zionism against our nation in Gaza."
Be'er Sheva Mayor Ronny Benilovitch told a news interviewer on Radio Darom Wednesday morning his city would not tolerate further attacks. "We cannot allow ourselves to become accustomed to a missile attack from Gaza every three weeks, every four weeks," he said. "We are telling the IDF, we've had it. That's it. That's it."
Ten mortar shells were also fired at Israeli population centers Wednesday morning. Seven exploded within the boundaries of the Eshkol local authority, which adjoins the northeastern part of Gaza. Three others exploded in the fields of a kibbutz in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council district. They did not hurt anyone or cause any damage to structures.