One of the rockets, a powerful Al-Kuds (Arabic for "Jerusalem") model, hit Begin Square, near the city's open-air market. The woman was pounded with shrapnel in her leg and was evacuated to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. Several other people went into a state of shock. The second rocket landed in the yard of a home, pock-marking it with shrapnel. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
Residents reported that the rocket blasts were louder than usual - and were later reported to be Al-Kuds models, fired by Islamic Jihad.
A third rocket was fired at the southern tip of the city later in the afternoon, and landed harmlessly in an open area.
In the meanwhile, Hamas is threatening to fire Kassam rockets deeper into Israel than ever before. "First they will hit Ashkelon," said Abu Ubaideh, spokesman for the Iz A-din Al-Kassam wing of Hamas, "and then we will act to ensure that they go further than that."
Abu Ubaideh spoke of the lessons that Hamas has learned from Hizbullah: "We carefully tracked what Hizbullah did, and we are proud of how its soldiers acted, while being aware of the differences between us and them. The bottom line is that there are some positive points that we must follow, such as the... secrecy with which they surprised the enemy, and the gradual escalation of their clash with the enemy; they did not show all their capabilities at the start. At the same time, we must take into account that the Palestinian resistance [terrorism] was more imaginative than the Lebanese - and despite the fact that it operates under fire, it had great achievements and was able to kidnap soldiers from within their tanks and fortifications." (Based on Palestinian Media Watch)
Residents reported that the rocket blasts were louder than usual - and were later reported to be Al-Kuds models, fired by Islamic Jihad.
A third rocket was fired at the southern tip of the city later in the afternoon, and landed harmlessly in an open area.
In the meanwhile, Hamas is threatening to fire Kassam rockets deeper into Israel than ever before. "First they will hit Ashkelon," said Abu Ubaideh, spokesman for the Iz A-din Al-Kassam wing of Hamas, "and then we will act to ensure that they go further than that."
Abu Ubaideh spoke of the lessons that Hamas has learned from Hizbullah: "We carefully tracked what Hizbullah did, and we are proud of how its soldiers acted, while being aware of the differences between us and them. The bottom line is that there are some positive points that we must follow, such as the... secrecy with which they surprised the enemy, and the gradual escalation of their clash with the enemy; they did not show all their capabilities at the start. At the same time, we must take into account that the Palestinian resistance [terrorism] was more imaginative than the Lebanese - and despite the fact that it operates under fire, it had great achievements and was able to kidnap soldiers from within their tanks and fortifications." (Based on Palestinian Media Watch)