February 6, 2008: In the afternoon, around the time children were finishing the school day, a Qassam rocket fired from northern Gaza landed in a playground near a kindergarten in a kibbutz of the Eshkol Regional Council in the western Negev. Three children were wounded. Two sisters, ages two and four, who had been playing outside were hospitalized for wounds along with their mother who was treated for shock.
An hour later, a home in Sderot was heavily damaged by a rocket explosion. The owner, a seventy-year old grandmother was hospitalized for shock and light injury. (Ynet News)
February 10, 2008: A Qassam explosion on a sidewalk in Sderot left two brothers severely wounded from rocket shrapnel. Eight-year-old Osher Twito’s leg was severely injured and had to be amputated in the hospital. His brother, Rami, 19, sustained fractures and breaks to both legs. Their mother and another brother were treated for shock, along with 13 other Sderot victims. (Haaretz.com)
February 25, 2008: Three rockets were fired on Sderot in the afternoon after school let out, with one landing in a residential neighborhood. A ten-year old boy, Yossi Hamoiv was playing outside with his sister, when the rocket exploded, severely injuring his arm. He underwent extensive surgery. The Palestinian-Arab Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for the attack. (Ynet News)
February 28, 2008: More than 50 Qassam rockets were fired towards southern Israel from Gaza. One rocket slammed into the parking lot of Sapir College near Sderot, killing Roni Yechiah, a 47-year-old father of four from the town of Btecha in the western Negev. Yechiah was inside his car in Sapir’s parking lot when the rocket exploded. He died of shrapnel wounds to the chest. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
On the same day, two Katyusha rockets hit Ashkelon, one landing in thesouthern industrial zone, and another in the middle of a residential area. (Haaretz.com)
February 29, 2008: Palestinians fired eight Iranian-made Katushya rockets on Ashkelon. The Katushya barrage scored a direct hit on a home, causing extensive damage to the structure. The other rockets landed in central and residential areas of Ashkelon and in open fields. The 122-millimeter Katyushas, based on a Russian design, are manufactured in many countries and have a range of at least 10 miles, longer than the Qassams. (New York Times)
According to an IDF spokesman, 485 Qassam rockets and mortars shells were launched at Sderot and the Western Negev from Gaza during the month of February. In addition, 20 Iranian-produced Katyushas were fired at Ashkelon.
