The rocket hit a high tension wire, partially knocking out power in the neighborhood. One mother reported her children were shaking with fear following the blast.
The retaining wall between the house and the nursery saved the children who were in the residence, said Adi Rafael, owner of the building. Arnold Amrionov, who lives in the house, said he is from Russia and "if anything like this happened there, the government would wipe them out."
The rocket attack was the 53rd since the November 26th announcement by Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas that there will be a total cessation of terrorist attacks from the Gaza area in return for the withdrawal of the IDF and a halt to Israeli counter terrorist actions.
Sunday night's attack, the fourth on the area during the day, came 24 hours after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas of "his concern over the continued fire of Kassam rockets from the Gaza Strip."
Despite his warnings that his "patience is running out," he told the Cabinet Sunday that Israel has more to gain from self-restraint than it can benefit from retaliating.
However, the Prime Minister's voice is increasingly becoming solitary. Five Cabinet ministers told the Cabinet that "enough is enough," and Defense Minister Amir Peretz said the policy of restraint may be encouraging terrorists more than it helps Abbas. The government, under pressure from the United States and European countries, is trying to boost the PA leader's position of power in the wake of the bloody militia war between his Fatah forces and Hamas forces last week.
National Security Agency director Yuval Diskin described Israel's predicament as "damned if you do and damned if you don't."
"If we react to violations of the ceasefire, we will draw Hamas into Kassam firings; and if we do not react, they will continue to fire," he said.
Sderot residents, including evicted Gush Katif resident Avi Farhan, plan to petition the Supreme Court to issue an order that the government must defend citizens and try to stop the attacks.
The retaining wall between the house and the nursery saved the children who were in the residence, said Adi Rafael, owner of the building. Arnold Amrionov, who lives in the house, said he is from Russia and "if anything like this happened there, the government would wipe them out."
The rocket attack was the 53rd since the November 26th announcement by Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas that there will be a total cessation of terrorist attacks from the Gaza area in return for the withdrawal of the IDF and a halt to Israeli counter terrorist actions.
Sunday night's attack, the fourth on the area during the day, came 24 hours after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas of "his concern over the continued fire of Kassam rockets from the Gaza Strip."
Despite his warnings that his "patience is running out," he told the Cabinet Sunday that Israel has more to gain from self-restraint than it can benefit from retaliating.
However, the Prime Minister's voice is increasingly becoming solitary. Five Cabinet ministers told the Cabinet that "enough is enough," and Defense Minister Amir Peretz said the policy of restraint may be encouraging terrorists more than it helps Abbas. The government, under pressure from the United States and European countries, is trying to boost the PA leader's position of power in the wake of the bloody militia war between his Fatah forces and Hamas forces last week.
National Security Agency director Yuval Diskin described Israel's predicament as "damned if you do and damned if you don't."
"If we react to violations of the ceasefire, we will draw Hamas into Kassam firings; and if we do not react, they will continue to fire," he said.
Sderot residents, including evicted Gush Katif resident Avi Farhan, plan to petition the Supreme Court to issue an order that the government must defend citizens and try to stop the attacks.