A seven-year-old boy was seriously wounded Thursday evening when a Grad missile fired by Gaza terrorists struck the city of Be'er Sheva. Two Grad missiles hit the city at approximately 5:00 p.m. One slammed into a residential area adjacent to a main highway and hit a car.
The vehicle had stopped on the highway when the rocket warning siren sounded, as directed by Home Front Command in its instructions to the public. The passengers, a mother and her son, managed to exit the vehicle and lie on their stomachs, per the instructions.
The mother lay on top of her son to protect him, but was unable to cover him completely. A shard from the missile penetrated his skull. He was rushed to Soroka hospital in serious condition.
The child's aunt spoke to reporters from the hospital, saying, “They waited for this child for 11 years. All we want is for G-d to give him back to us.”
Five others were wounded as well, one seriously. One person was moderately wounded and the others suffered light injuries. A number of other people suffered severe emotional trauma. All were evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in the city. Hospital officials set up an information hotline at: 12-55-177.
"The ground shook -- and one of them echoed -- so I knew it was in an urban area, somewhere close," Be'er Sheva resident Yocheved Miriam Russo told Israel National News. "It had been relatively quiet -- there had not been anything since yesterday about this time," she commented.
"I'm just praying for NO ceasefire," Russo added. "We can deal with this -- but not a phony ceasefire."
Shortly before the Be'er Sheva attack terrorists fired on the Eshkol region. The rockets hit open areas and no injuries were reported. Earlier on Thursday afternoon rocket strikes were reported in the Ofakim region. No injuries were reported.
Gaza terrorists fired a total of approximately 25 rockets at Israeli cities since Thursday morning. Rockets hit several cities, including Gadera and Sderot. Strikes damaged a home in Sderot and several cars.
Security officials in Be'er Sheva warned civilians not to approach the area. Anyone who hears a rocket alert siren while traveling by car should stop at the side of the road, exit the vehicle, lie down at a distance from the vehicle and wait for five minutes, after which they are instructed to get in the car and proceed directly to their destination without delay.