Three Gazan rockets slam into Sderot industrial zone

Opposition leader Shaul Mofaz visits Ashkelon, says school year will open as scheduled.

By BEN HARTMAN, YAAKOV LAPPIN
Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz 370 (R) (photo credit: Reuters / Pool)
Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz 370 (R)
(photo credit: Reuters / Pool)
Gazans fired three rockets at the Sderot area on Sunday morning, one day before school is set to begin across the country.
Two of the rockets hit in the industrial area of Sderot, causing damage to two factories – one of which had been damaged in a previous rocket attack – and a third struck in an open field, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
No one was injured, but a few residents were treated for shock by paramedics.
The Color Red alert was sounded across the area shortly before the rockets landed, sending residents fleeing for cover.
A jihadi Salafi organization calling itself the Council of Jihad in Jerusalem and its Environs released a letter on Sunday evening saying it was behind the attack, Channel 2 reported.
Sderot and its surroundings have been hit with more than 10,000 Palestinian rockets since 2001.
Opposition leader Shaul Mofaz responded to the rockets fired during a visit to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, saying: “I will pass a message on to the heads of Hamas – the blood is on your hands if you touch a hair on our children’s heads.”
He continued, “The academic year will open as usual. It is our duty to ensure that the children in the South have the security they need.”
During his visit, Mofaz also received an overview of the security measures in the Ashkelon hospital, and said that the delay in implementing proper security measures is “a serious failure in defense.”
Gabriella Weiniger and Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.