Hamas Fires Six Rockets Into Southern Israel, School Hit

There have been a few rockets fired in southern Israel the past few days but this morning saw a total of six rockets fired by Hamas that landed in the Ashkelon area, with one hitting and severely damaging a school. There are no reports of injury, thank goodness. But this barrage for a Saturday will probably spark some retaliation from the Israelis...is my bet. Here's some of the details from The Jerusalem Post:

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired at least six projectiles at southern Israel on Saturday, with a Grad-type rocket hitting and heavily damaging an Asheklon school.

Two Kassam rockets hit open areas in the western Negev on Saturday evening. No one was wounded and no damage was reported, as one of the rockets hit the Eshkol region and the other landed in the Sha'ar Hanegev area.
There were no casualties in the Grad attack on Ashkelon earlier on Saturday, as the school was closed, though a number of residents were treated for shock. Another Grad rocket landed in an open area just outside the city.
Ashkelon residents reported hearing an air raid siren at 8:43 am, before a rocket tore through the school, destroying classrooms and spraying shrapnel in all directions.

As you can see, the rocket that hit the Ashkelon school was a grad type rocket - the larger, longer range type and that has to continue to worry Israeli officials. While the Israelis have done some sporadic IAF bombing of tunnel systems in retaliation, I think by tomorrow we're going to see some more pinpointed attacks on the areas that these rockets were fired from.

I, personally, don't think it will take much to push the Israelis into a much more full blown air attack on Gaza again if this keeps up. Nobody ever said Hamas was very smart.

Kassam rockets continue to hit Negev

"In light of the situation, we can say with certainty that the school struck by a rocket will not be open tomorrow. We will have to find an alternative solution for students. The remainder of the schools will open on Sunday," Deputy Mayor Shlomo Cohen said.
Cohen added that the municipality "shares the concerns of parents in light of the deterioration of the situation, but we must remember that carrying on in a routine manner means bolstering the education system and the whole of the city of Ashkelon."
A tour of the school by Ashkelon Municipality safety officials found that shrapnel damage had reached parts of the building which had been designated as safe zones by the Home Front Command.
The municipality has been waiting for two weeks for the Ministry of Defense to approve rocket reinforcement construction plans drawn up to protect schools in the city, Cohen said, adding that the school struck in Saturday's attack was on the list of schools waiting for protection.
"The Ashkelon Municipality has demanded that the school be equipped with inexpensive basic rocket protection reinforcement. The reinforcement plans have been approved by the municipality and the Home Front Command. They have been sitting on the desks of Defense Ministry officials for two weeks, waiting for approval," Cohen said.
On Saturday evening, the Ashkelon Municipality and the city's parents' council decided that although no classes would be held in the damaged school on Sunday, other schools would hold classes as usual.