Sderot man lightly wounded in Qassam strike on Negev home

[oberliner]

Hundreds of residents from the center of the country traveled to the Negev town on Friday to express solidarity with the residents, far fewer than the tens of thousands who visited last Friday.

Meanwhile, the Code Red rocket alert system was activated in Ashkelon on Friday, a day after Palestinians fired about a dozen Grad rockets on the southern port city, including one that scored a direct hit on a residential building.

However, the city is not prepared for continued rocket barrages, Mayor Roni Mehatzri said Friday. He said the authorities were not ready to treat large numbers of shock victims and that the local hospital was not reinforced against rockets.

"It's a city of 120,000 people, with large facilities - a huge soccer stadium, and a basketball stadium, and a beach," Mehatzri told Israel Radio. "No one is ready for this."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/959172.html

[Scurrilous]

1. Rocket narrowly misses Knesset members

Qassam lands near Yisrael Beiteinu MKs touring south; Chairman Lieberman unhurt

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3513028,00.html

<snip>

"A rocket fired from Gaza Friday landed in a field in the south of the country not far from where hundreds of Israelis were hiking, including Knesset members touring the rocket-battered region.

Around 3:30 pm, two rockets fired from northern Gaza landed in open areas. However, soon after it turned out that Knesset members belonging to the Yisrael Beiteinu party, including Chairman Avigdor Lieberman, were hiking near the landing site.

Overall, more than 15 rockets were fired from Gaza Friday morning and afternoon. The Knesset members who toured the area were scheduled to visit a region Kibbutz during the Shabbat."

[oberliner]

2. Why do they do this?

Do you think that Hamas actually wants an all-out military conflict with Israel?

I honestly do not understand the strategy behind these rockets attacks (if there is any).

[Vegasaurus]

3. I don't understand it either

Hamas continues to pour fuel on the fire. They are itching for a huge confrontation, and they may just get it.

And when they do, I hope the blame will fall squarely on the feet of Hamas, who show so little care and consideration for their citizens that they would endanger their lives by continually allowing rockets to fly and militants to roam the streets, trying to kill people.

Hamas has the ability to avoid a serious ground invasion. They seem unwilling to avoid it. In fact, they seem to want it. Why?

[Scurrilous]

4. I would imagine they're shooting at Israel...

...because Israel is shooting at them.

Hence the need for both sides to agree to a ceasefire.

[oberliner]

5. But if that is their goal...

Doesn't shooting rockets at Israel work against this goal?

Doesn't it actually increase that likelihood?

Wouldn't they have a better chance of achieving their goal if they decided unilaterally to stop shooting rockets at Israel?

[Scurrilous]

6. Hamas...

...seems amenable to a ceasefire initiative.

A majority of Israelis responding to a poll want their government to talk with Hamas and work toward a ceasefire.

Why not a mutual ceasefire?

[Shaktimaan]

7. because of what happened during the last cease fire.

[oberliner]

8. But even without a ceasefire, it doesn't seem to make sense

It just does not seem to me that the rocket fire is in the best interest of the Palestinian people, nor can I see a stragetic advantage for Hamas in continuing to pursue this policy.