As the World Looks Away, Gaza's Attacks on Israel Continue

Israel's war with Gaza has faded from the headlines here in the United States, as Americans focus on issues closer to home, but the terrorist rocket attacks on Israeli civilians continue.

Thursday, February 26 was a busy news day in the United States, as recession stories and President Barack Obama's speech to Congress dominated the news. In Israel, however, the news was much the same as it has been over recent years: another rocket attack from Gaza.

On this day, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired four Kassam rockets into Israel. Kassam rockets are simple projectiles, essentially a steel tube with explosives inside. They have no guidance system, and since they cannot be aimed, Palestinians rely on launching a number of them toward populated areas. On this day, no one was killed, but on other days, residents in southern Israel are not always this lucky. When an innocent Israeli civilian is killed, it rarely makes the international news. Once Israel retaliates and hits the Gaza strip, you are more likely to see media attention.

Of the four rockets launched into Israel, the first landed in an open field. Two others hit the city of Sderot, which is only a mile from the Gaza strip and is home to nearly 20,000 people. Most of the rockets fired from Gaza are aimed at the residents of Sderot, and according to reports, as many as 30% of the city's residents suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the attacks.

Southern Israeli towns along the Gaza Strip all have sirens that sound when rockets are spotted, and residents often have less than a minute to get to a fortified shelter. Schools in most towns are reinforced to handle rocket hits.

One of the rockets that hit Sderot landed close to two homes, and while so serious injuries were reported, a number of civilians close to the explosion were treated for shock. In response to the attacks, the Israeli Air Force stuck underground smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza strip, which Palestinian terrorists use to launch rockets and through which weapons and rockets are often moved around.

Rocket attacks continue despite efforts at a cease fire. American media stopped focusing on the war when Israel agreed to a short-term cease fire and Egypt offered to broker a long-term deal. Negotiations fell apart when Israel demanded the release of an Israeli soldier kidnapped by members of Hamas and taken to Gaza. Israel has often had to trade Palestinian prisoners for Israeli soldiers kidnapped from posts inside their borders.

After a peace deal fell through, rockets from Gaza began to fly again. Negotiations continue in Egypt for a cease fire as well as the return of Israel's kidnapped soldier. Until then, the residents of southern Israel listen for alarms warning of incoming missiles and hoping the odds are with them and their homes - and lives - are spared.

Sources: JerusalemPost.com, Wikipedia