
On Tuesday morning a rocket landed in Kiryat Malachi, the first time that the town was hit by a projectile fired from Gaza. Several people suffered shock in the attack, though there were no reports of casualties or damage.Earlier, a Sderot man was lightly wounded when a Kassam fired at the city hit a house. The building sustained damage in the attack.The rockets were fired as Israel let some 100 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies from Jordan,Turkey and international aid groups into the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom border crossing.In addition, five new ambulances donated by Turkey were allowed into the Strip.Earlier Tuesday, three Kassams and at least 10 mortar shells pounded the Eshkol region. No casualties were reported in the attack, though one house sustained damage.On Monday, three Israelis were killed in Ashkelon, Ashdod and Nahal Oz as over 80 rockets and mortar shells hit southern Israel.In response to the barrages, Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday declared a "special situation" for communities located within 30 kilometers from the Gaza Strip.The move, the first of its kind, would give the security establishment authority to close factories, cancel conferences and events, and to conduct other civilian activities. It would allow the security establishment to play an active role in city affairs alongside local authorities.The cabinet is required to approve the special status over the next two days, as it has already done for Gaza belt communities. Schools were to remain closed within the 30-kilometer range on Tuesday, including in Ashdod, Kiryat Gat, Ofakim, Sderot and Kiryat Malachi.Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i told Israel Radio on Tuesday that Gaza-belt communities were well prepared for further rocket attacks, and called on residents of the South to heed instructions from authorities.Monday's Ashdod fatality was identified as Irit Sheetrit, 36. She was killed Monday night when a Grad-type rocket struck a bus stop where she had run for cover. Four other were hurt in the attack, one was in serous condition.Warrant Officer Lotfi Nasraladin, 38, from the Druse village of Daliat el-Carmel, was killed when rockets struck near Nahal Oz. Five others were wounded in the attack, two seriously.Following continued IAF attacks on Hamas targets in the Strip, Palestinian terrorists intensified their efforts, firing on Ofakim and Yavne. One person was moderately wounded in the attack on Ofakim.Earlier Monday, an Israeli construction worker identified as Hani al-Mahdi, 27, of the Beduin town of Aro'er in the Negev, was killed and over a dozen others were wounded when a Grad-model Katyusha hit a construction site in Ashkelon.
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND ABE SELIG
Yaakov Katz and Abe Selig contributed to this report
Yaakov Katz and Abe Selig contributed to this report
As in the days of Noah....