A 22-year-old woman, Tif'eret Tratner, was killed in a direct hit on a home in N'vei Dekalim in southern Gaza this morning. Residents of the Katif bloc of communities blame the Prime Minister and his retreat plan.
Part of the roof fell in on top of the woman as a result of the exploding shell, and she was flown in critical condition to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva. She died of her wounds on the way to the hospital. "As usual," writes Katif.net, "N'vei Dekalim was the target of a shelling attack today - but not as usual, this time we can't write that miraculously, no one was hurt." Photos of the scene can be seen here. Tif'eret did a year of national service in N'vei Dekalim a while ago, and later moved to Gush Katif on her own from Jerusalem. Two other people were wounded in the attack.
This was the first civilian death in the more than 4,500 Palestinian rocket and shelling attacks that have been perpetrated against Gush Katif in the course of the fighting known as the Oslo War. Reserve soldier Barak Madmon was killed outside Kfar Darom in a mortar attack in Nov. 2001.
N'vei Dekalim resident Moshe Saperstein was nearby when the shell hit today, heard the explosion and watched the wounded being loaded onto ambulances. Summing up the situation, Moshe told Arutz-7 today, "The government is trying to buy us out. The Arabs are trying to blast us out. But our attachment to the Land of Israel is far stronger than anything our internal or external enemies can do."
A total of four shells and Kassam rockets were fired at N'vei Dekalim this morning, hitting more than one house. Three shells were fired at Sderot, just to the east of northern Gaza, since last night. Residents of Sderot held yet another demonstration last night, demanding that the government take strong action against the continuing rocket attacks.
Eight mortar shells were fired at nearby Morag this morning - two in one volley, and then six more. Three soldiers were killed just outside Morag yesterday morning in a terrorist infiltration attack.
Gaza Coast Regional Council Head Avner Shimoni said after this morning's murder, "The writing was on the wall. I turn to you, Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. Defense Minister: Prevent these attacks, so that the people here won't think you have abandoned us to die. No order has yet been given to the army to take whatever action is necessary to go in and prevent these attacks for good."
Gaza Coast Regional Council spokesman Eran Sternberg was even harsher: "Sharon continues to incite to the murder of Gush Katif residents. We won't be surprised if the next shells say, 'From Sharon, With Love.'"
Sternberg explained afterwards, "A terrorist selecting his target knows that when he fires a rocket at Sderot or at a Kibbutz in the Negev, the IDF responds strongly, killing 15 terrorists. But when he fires at the Gush Katif towns that Sharon wants to demolish, there is little or no retaliation. Which target do you think he will choose?"
Part of the roof fell in on top of the woman as a result of the exploding shell, and she was flown in critical condition to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva. She died of her wounds on the way to the hospital. "As usual," writes Katif.net, "N'vei Dekalim was the target of a shelling attack today - but not as usual, this time we can't write that miraculously, no one was hurt." Photos of the scene can be seen here. Tif'eret did a year of national service in N'vei Dekalim a while ago, and later moved to Gush Katif on her own from Jerusalem. Two other people were wounded in the attack.
This was the first civilian death in the more than 4,500 Palestinian rocket and shelling attacks that have been perpetrated against Gush Katif in the course of the fighting known as the Oslo War. Reserve soldier Barak Madmon was killed outside Kfar Darom in a mortar attack in Nov. 2001.
N'vei Dekalim resident Moshe Saperstein was nearby when the shell hit today, heard the explosion and watched the wounded being loaded onto ambulances. Summing up the situation, Moshe told Arutz-7 today, "The government is trying to buy us out. The Arabs are trying to blast us out. But our attachment to the Land of Israel is far stronger than anything our internal or external enemies can do."
A total of four shells and Kassam rockets were fired at N'vei Dekalim this morning, hitting more than one house. Three shells were fired at Sderot, just to the east of northern Gaza, since last night. Residents of Sderot held yet another demonstration last night, demanding that the government take strong action against the continuing rocket attacks.
Eight mortar shells were fired at nearby Morag this morning - two in one volley, and then six more. Three soldiers were killed just outside Morag yesterday morning in a terrorist infiltration attack.
Gaza Coast Regional Council Head Avner Shimoni said after this morning's murder, "The writing was on the wall. I turn to you, Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. Defense Minister: Prevent these attacks, so that the people here won't think you have abandoned us to die. No order has yet been given to the army to take whatever action is necessary to go in and prevent these attacks for good."
Gaza Coast Regional Council spokesman Eran Sternberg was even harsher: "Sharon continues to incite to the murder of Gush Katif residents. We won't be surprised if the next shells say, 'From Sharon, With Love.'"
Sternberg explained afterwards, "A terrorist selecting his target knows that when he fires a rocket at Sderot or at a Kibbutz in the Negev, the IDF responds strongly, killing 15 terrorists. But when he fires at the Gush Katif towns that Sharon wants to demolish, there is little or no retaliation. Which target do you think he will choose?"