While no one was injured in this latest round attacks, the fall of rockets disrupts the lives of about a million people living near the Gaza Strip, closing shops and schools, and sending residents scrambling for the nearest shelters.

 

Rockets landed near a kibbutz in the Eshkol area south of Ashkelon, killing a goat at a petting zoo and injuring another so badly that its owner had to euthanize it.

 

Rockets landed on nearby roads and lightly damaged several buildings. The head of security at the kibbutz, Noam Sagiv, said it was a miracle there were no human casualties.

 

The militant wing of Gaza’s Islamist leadership Hamas, along with militant group Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, an unusual event since Hamas has distanced itself from such attacks in recent months.

 

According to the Israeli army, more than 470 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza this year.

 

This most recent attack received scant attention in international media, in contrast to the recent Syrian rocket fire into Turkey, which made headlines globally. Israeli officials have repeatedly called on the international community to condemn Hamas for its campaign of rocket fire at civilian Israeli targets and have criticised the international media for downplaying the issue.

 

Source: JN1