Sderot residents are not surprised that Gaza terrorists have elected not to extend the "ceasefire" with Israel – nor are they very disturbed by the news.
Knesset Member Shai Chermesh, a resident of Kfar Aza, told reporters Thursday at a news conference in the rocket-battered city that the ceasefire had not been especially helpful to Israel. Hamas terrorists who kidnapped IDF St. Sgt. Gilad Shalit on June 25, 2006 have still not returned the captive soldier despite countless efforts to negotiate a prisoner exchange, both before and during the six-month "calm".
"Gilad Shalit is still in Gaza, and Sderot and western Negev residents are still under rocket fire," Chermesh pointed out. "The government of Israel has shown that it has little authority over what is happening to Sderot and the western Negev."
Nonetheless, he expressed compassion for Palestinian Authority residents who were living under Hamas rule. "If the IDF re-enters Gaza, the attack must be planned carefully. The people of Gaza should not go hungry and we must limit civilian casualties as much as possible."
He noted that the Hamas terrorist organization "has treated its constituents terribly," calling on the group to "stop using their own Palestinian civilians as sacrificial offerings by employing rocket terror tactics against innocent Israelis."
Sderot Parents Association head Batya Katar told reporters that a change of government is needed. "We don't have the right leaders to deal with the reality of the region," she said. "If this was happening in Tel Aviv, there would be a completely different reaction from the government."
Improvements in Protection Flimsy at Best
Sderot security chief Yehuda Ben Maman reported at the conference that a number of new bomb shelters have been built in the city by the government in the past year. However, the improvement was minimal.
Most of the structures, erected near bus stops around the city, are only strong enough to sustain a rain of shrapnel. Not one of the new bomb shelters near the bus stops could withstand a direct hit from a Kassam rocket, he explained, making them less than safe for anyone seeking shelter in the middle of a intense rocket attack.
Friday's attacks began as they had all week long, with a barrage of Kassam rockets aimed at the western Negev just as Jewish children were walking to school and their parents and other adults were on their way to work. The only difference came an hour later, when Gaza terrorists added sniper fire to the arsenal.
Farmers at Kibbutz Nir Oz came under gunfire for the first time since the tahadiyeh, or temporary truce, went into effect on June 19. An IDF armored corps unit rescued the farmers and although a vehicle was damaged, no one was injured.