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Terrorism

Father of four killed by Kassam


By Stan Goodenough
February 27, 2008

An 47-year-old Israeli, father of four, was killed Wednesday when Gaza's Palestinian Arabs launched a barrage of Kassam rockets at the Negev town of Sderot.

Roni Yehieh was sitting in his car in a college parking lot when one of more than 22 rockets that were fired in salvoes through the morning exploded nearby, lethally peppering his chest with shrapnel.

Several other people were wounded in the attacks, with one missile scoring a direct hit on a house and another slamming into a factory shortly after the area had been vacated.

Later in the day, after seven casualties had been evacuated to Ashkelon's Barzilai Hospital a Kassam hit the grounds of the medical facility.

By early Wednesday evening, more than 30 rockets had been fired from the Strip, which has been turned into a massive terrorist training and launching camp since Israel abandoned Gaza in 2005.

Hamas claimed credit for the attacks, which came shortly after the Israeli Air Force attacked and killed five members of an Iranian-trained terrorist gang in Gaza.

According to Israel's internal security service or Shin Bet, the men had been preparing to murder as many Israelis as possible in a massive terrorist attack.

The intensity of the Kassam attacks, the service said, probably indicated that those killed were important Hamas members.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is in Japan on a state visit, responded to the news saying: "There is a war in the South and it will continue to rage. We regret that once again it has taken a bloody toll, this time a life has been lost."

A Knesset Member in Olmert's Kadima Party, David Tal, said Israel had to respond to the rocket barrage.

"I think we're nearing the limit of the IDF's patience, the army is obligated to defend the citizens of this country. I call on the defense minister and prime minister to strike back, otherwise more Israelis will be killed in the near future," Tal said, according to Ynetnews.

But arch-leftist lawmaker Yossi Beilin said Israel should talk to Hamas.

"The Israeli government can no longer depend on luck, hoping that the Kassams won't kill," he said.

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