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A seven-year-old girl being treated for her wounds after a Qassam hit Sderot on Tuesday. (AP)
Last update - 07:30 16/01/2008
25 Qassams fired at Israel after deadly IDF Gaza raid
By Amos Harel, Yuval Azoulai and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service
Tags: Gaza, Qassams, Hamas, IDF

Parts of southern Israel were subjected to a barrage of 25 Qassam rockets and dozens of mortars Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said, in the wake of IDF raids in Gaza that killed 19 Palestinians. Of the dead, 15 were confirmed as armed militants.

Three militant Palestinian factions, including a group allied to Hamas, claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. Hamas claimed responsibility for 17 of the mortars.

In the months leading up to Tuesday's raids in Gaza, the Islamic militant group hadn't taken the lead on the assaults, but had allowed other militant factions to attack southern Israel with impunity.
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Four residents of Sderot were lightly wounded after at least four Qassam rockets struck the western Negev town, causing a power outage in some neighborhoods.

Also Tuesday, an Ecuadorian volunteer working in the fields of a kibbutz near Gaza was shot dead by a sniper from Hamas' armed wing.

In Sderot, a five-year-old girl was among those wounded when the house she was in sustained a direct hit from one of the rockets. The child had been treated by a psychologist in the past for anxiety due to the Qassam attacks on Sderot, and her father vowed his family would leave the western Negev town for good.

Another rocket damaged several other homes and hit a power line, plunging parts of the town into darkness.

Earlier, a Grad-type Katyusha struck an open field in southern Ashkelon. No injuries or damages were reported.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket fire on
Ashkelon, a city of 120,000 people about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Gaza. Most rockets land just a few kilometers from the Gaza border.

Carlos Chavez killed while working in kibbutz potato field

Ecuadorian volunteer Carlos Chavez, 21, was killed when a Palestinian sniper fired from the border area into Israel.

Chavez had been working in a potato field near the kibbutz border fence, Ein Hashlosha's security chief said. He was hit in the back and taken by his friends to the kibbutz infirmary.

A Magen David Adom ambulance arrived on the scene shortly after, but paramedics were unable to resuscitate him.

The shots were fired in the direction of IDF engineering corps operating in the area.

Yochai Kopler, a potato grower who worked with Chavez, said "sniper and mortar fire opened up. We didn't have luck this time, as we did the other times. Every day they shoot at us, and we run away like rabbits."

"It's tough for us to receive news like this," said Annie Rotman, who is responsible for the kibbutz's volunteers.

She said that Chavez came to the kibbutz two months ago. "Only yesterday, we spoke with him, laughed with him."

"Everyone here is afraid," she said. "The volunteers do the work, and when there is shooting, they go into hysteria. We are finding it difficult to digest what has happened."

David Lanos, 19, also a volunteer on the kibbutz, said the sniper fire came as they were preparing to plant potato seeds. "I told him, 'Sit down, they're shooting at us.' We managed to hide behind a car. When he stood up to get into it, he was hit in the back."

Lanos then told Chavez not to go to sleep. "He answered 'I'm not able,' and then I lost him."

An IDF spokesman said Chavez's showed the need for continued military operations in Gaza.

"The shooting of the Ecuadorian youth demonstrates the necessity of the
defensive measures the military is carrying out with pinpoint operations," IDF spokeswoman Major Avital Leibovich said.

One of of the fatalities in the IDF operations on Tuesday was the son of Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar, the last surviving founder of the Islamist group.

Related articles:

  • Nine Gazans killed by IDF fire; Katyusha hits north Ashkelon
  • Haaretz probe: Shin Bet count of Gaza civilian deaths is too low
  • Israel foils bid to take explosive material into Gaza on aid truck
  • IAF strike kills three Palestinian militants near Gaza City
  • Two Palestinians indicted for murder of W. Bank settler Ido Zoldan
  • Palestinians fire barrage of rockets, shells at western Negev
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      1.   7 x 1 to Israel. Good score. Keep working. 10:57  |  Vitaly 15/01/08
      2.   Sorry aboutthe elderly man killed 11:01  |  Yonatan 15/01/08
      3.   Vitaly No. 1: 7 to 1 Is Actually A Bad Score 11:13  |  Natan 15/01/08
      4.   Ein HaShlosha Voted For Terror Against Themselves 11:13  |  Yishai Kohen 15/01/08
      5.   Pals murdering a kibboutz worker 11:18  |  maurice 15/01/08
      6.   some islamofascist less, excellent 11:19  |  jean 15/01/08
      7.   To Dutch 11:21  |  Neil 15/01/08
      8.   And the people of Sderot wonder why they are attacked 11:26  |  Stephen Murray 15/01/08
      9.   9 Killed 11:37  |  Clickfool 15/01/08
      10.   THE ECUADORIAN SHOUL NOT HAVE TO WORK ON STOLEN LAND 11:44  |  TrippleJump 15/01/08
      11.   Bad luck, Stephen, Dutch and some others... 11:46  |  maurice 15/01/08
      12.   Stephan Murray 11:57  |  Nephtaly 15/01/08
      13.   S.Murray`d always find reasons to shell cities,pity he doesn`t 11:59  |  Absolute Sweden 15/01/08
      14.   To #8 They are allways unarmed huh Stephen 12:00  |  Lavy 15/01/08
      15.   Why is Stephen Murray a war crimes advocate? 12:02  |  Joe Sittizen 15/01/08
      16.   tosefta "hundreds wold be killed in gaza operation" 12:03  |  harzion 15/01/08
      17.   And Hamas is wondering why we kill them by tens.. 12:05  |  maurice 15/01/08
      18.   #8; Stephen Murray 12:06  |  Doc Holliday 15/01/08
      19.   Why is Stephen Murray a war crimes advocate? 12:07  |  Joe Sittizen 15/01/08
      20.   to tripplejump #10 12:07  |  mrrad 15/01/08
      21.   the idf should study sharon`s operations against the gazans 12:07  |  harzion 15/01/08
      22.   To #9 Children under 21? WTF LOL 12:07  |  Levi 15/01/08
      23.   SOO TO FOLLOW ALL WERE LITTLE KIDS 12:14  |  Levi 15/01/08
      24.   The violence benefits neither side 12:20  |  Natallie Durson 15/01/08
      25.   Have those so called palestinians pay for their satanistic crimes 12:25  |  Johnny 15/01/08
      26.   A tragic loss of young life 12:36  |  Nechama 15/01/08
      27.   HEY #4 Yishai - Are you a Prophet???? 12:45  |  b`galil 15/01/08
      28.   STEPHEN MURRAY - I THINK YOU HAVE IT BACKWARDS 12:47  |  b`galil 15/01/08
      29.   Texts about palestinian culture of child sacrifice 12:52  |  Johnny 15/01/08
      30.   I usually don`t criticize Israeli attacks against Palestinian.... 12:58  |  Swiss (Dino) 15/01/08
      31.   Stephen - I do wonder: the idea behind Katyusha`s from Gaza? 13:00  |  Jeroen de Jager 15/01/08
      32.   More Israeli Peace Making By Killing Other Side 13:01  |  Jeremy Martin 15/01/08
      33.   Stop everything except negotiations 13:05  |  Fahmi Natour 15/01/08
      34.   26/ Funny how Ecuardoran is mourned by dozen Pal dead celebrated 13:06  |  Jeremy Martin 15/01/08
      35.   Unfortunate Ecuadorian brought by israel to land they had no 13:13  |  lakshmi 15/01/08
      36.   as long as they fire Qassams 13:18  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 15/01/08
      37.   Swiss (Dino) 13:24  |  Nephtaly 15/01/08
      38.   b`galil #28- Response to Stephen Murray 13:31  |  William 15/01/08
      39.   FOOL #9 13:38  |  PETER SM 15/01/08
      40.   Visitor had no right to be in Israel?? - Lakshmi#35 13:38  |  Eyes wide open 15/01/08
      41.   JMARTIN How mabny Qassems& mortars have"Peace loving"Hamas fired? 13:39  |  PETER SM 15/01/08
      42.   #10 Tripplejump - against the existence of Israel 13:40  |  Yonatan 15/01/08
      43.   HAMAS Keeps re-iterating NO peace,NO recognition.Daily Qassems 13:43  |  PETER SM 15/01/08
      44.   the coward and imoral idf & iaf 13:46  |  VIPER 15/01/08
      45.   when I first read the aticle 4 hours ago it was 7 x 1 13:48  |  Vitaly 15/01/08
      46.   Clicky..children? 13:51  |  Lynn 15/01/08
      47.   Nothing to do with Qassams #36 13:54  |  Dan Merrick 15/01/08
      48.   Swiss......from the posts I have read 13:58  |  Lynn 15/01/08
      49.   # 37 Nephtaly 13:59  |  Swiss (Dino) 15/01/08
      50.   Fahmi Natour 14:08  |  Nik Miller 15/01/08
      51.   to #49 Swiss - I am an israeli nationalist. And I am proud of it 14:10  |  Vitaly 15/01/08
      52.   # 31 de Jager from Amsterdam.... 14:11  |  Lynn 15/01/08
      53.   Qassams are harmless 14:14  |  Allon 15/01/08
      54.   @34, jeremy martin, british brutality had no bounds 14:15  |  vladimir 15/01/08
      55.   Crimes more crimes against the Plas 14:17  |  Sam (UK) 15/01/08
      56.   Lakshmi and snipers 14:18  |  Nik Miller 15/01/08
      57.   re9 killed most terrorists are very young 14:24  |  Petra 15/01/08
      58.   Fahmi Natour.....best idea on the boards!!!!! 14:25  |  Lynn 15/01/08
      59.   No mercy with islamofascists, just kill them, thank you... 14:27  |  maurice 15/01/08
      60.   1:10 - same proportion of the Nazi 14:28  |  go Herez Isr 15/01/08
      61.   lakshmi...in denial again.. 14:28  |  Lynn 15/01/08
      62.   # 47 stop excusing terror 14:34  |  Petra 15/01/08
      63.   # 48 Lynn 14:37  |  Swiss (Dino) 15/01/08
      64.   Israeli jargon targeted killing 14:41  |  Joe Hill 15/01/08
      65.   when it is going to end 14:45  |  jay 15/01/08
      66.   # 51 Vitaly, too bad, but I`m afraid future history books...... 14:45  |  Swiss (Dino) 15/01/08
      67.   Swiss...the same can be said for Hamas 14:56  |  Lynn 15/01/08
      68.   Volunteer killed 15:01  |  Richard 15/01/08
      69.   I am shocked, schocked - nine kids in pumpers 15:03  |  17- clicfool