Woman Killed by Kassam Rocket in Sderot by Hana Levi Julian

(IsraelNN.com) A local woman was killed by a Kassam rocket in Sderot Monday night after an attack that scored a direct hit on her car as she stood next to it near a bakery in the center of town.

The woman, whose age was estimated by eyewitnesses to be about 35, was pronounced dead on arrival at Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. She had suffered severe injuries to her chest and stomach, and bled to death.

The barrage of five rockets slammed into a commercial shopping area in the center of town shortly before 8:00 p.m. Monday evening while business owners were meeting to discuss the situation. Most businesses were closed as a result, minimizing what might otherwise have become a mammoth disaster.

One man sustained shrapnel wounds in the attack and was evacuated to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. Twelve other people were also taken to hospital and treated for shock.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana were meeting in Sderot at the time of the attack. Neither one was hurt. Ms. Livni told reporters at a news conference in the besieged town that a ceasefire with Hamas is not an option, as far as Israel is concerned. The foreign minister noted that Hamas considers a ceasefire an opportunity to rearm and upgrade weapons supplies and terrorists training in anticipation of the next conflict.

Three terror organizations rushed to take the credit for this attack: Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Salah al-Din Brigades terror group, part of the Popular Resistance Committees terrorist organization.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had harsh words in a statement issued following the attack. "We will take whatever steps are necessary to stop the Kassam attacks," he warned, but did not elaborate on what those steps might be. The security cabinet gave a green light yesterday for the IDF to resume targeted assassinations, and government officials warned that Hamas Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, and Hamas politburo chief and arch-terrorist Khaled Mashaal would not be immune from the attacks.

A total of 19 rockets had rained down on the western Negev by midnight. Two more Kassams exploded in Sderot, one in the industrial area and the other in the center of town, causing some damage but no injuries. During the evening, a rocket exploded among the fields located near several farms in the region. The explosion ignited a pile of weeds and started a fire, but no damage or injuries were reported. A rocket landed near a gas station, another hit a greenhouse, setting it ablaze. Another slammed into a kibbutz south of Sderot. Two rockets landed slightly south of Ashkelon.