Sderot Mayor-elect David Buskila slammed the government Thursday for what he called its "abandonment" of Jewish communities in the Gaza Belt in the face of rocket fire from Gaza.
Buskila made his remarks following a new spate of Kassam rocket fire from the region Thursday morning at around 9:30 a.m., recalling a statement by Defense Minister Ehud Barak earlier in the week that the number of rockets aimed at Israel has been reduced 'significantly' since the ceasefire with Hamas began June 19.
"Unfortunately, we have a feeling of abandonment, especially in this period where the government is approaching elections and is looking for a false truce… at the expense of the residents of Sderot," Buskila charged.
"I heard the defense minister's equation of 10 rockets a month. This is outrageous. I could accept that equation if it was eight rockets on Sderot, and two rockets on Tel Aviv – and would like to see if he could make peace with that equation," Buskila added.
Gaza terrorists fired two Kassam Kassam rockets at the western Negev Thursday morning, less than a day after Israel re-opened the crossings into the region. No one was injured and no damage was reported in the attack. The Color Red incoming rocket alert siren blared in Sderot shortly before 9:30 a.m., sending shoppers and other pedestrians fleeing for safety.
The rockets exploded near the city and in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council district, but the exact location of their landing sites has not yet been identified due to weather conditions in the area.