1730or most residents of Gaza border communities, the mortar rocket attack to the Eshkol Regional Council area on Tuesday evening 21 Elul did not come as a surprise.

Residents believe the attack was not an isolated incident as they feel it is only a matter of time until the attacks increase in frequency as has been the case in the past. They blame the way the government ended the warfare, without a decisive victory against Hamas. Some residents told the media they are not taking chances and they are making arrangements to spend the three-day Rosh Hashanah yomtov with family or friends far away from the area. They explain that while there is nothing concrete they have a bad feeling regarding Rosh Hashanah.

Eshkol Regional Council head Chaim Yellin explained it is unclear if the rocket fire was the result of military training in Gaza or an intentional attack. “Either way it is unacceptable” he exclaimed. Yelling is calling on the government to achieve a long-term agreement that will bring quiet to the area to avoid the future rounds of warfare with Hamas.

“We have the strongest army in the world. We have nothing to fear from entering into negotiations towards bringing quiet to the Gaza border communities and the south. We expect the Government of Israel to restore quiet to the region with the same determination that it used to neutralize the terror tunnels” stated Yellin.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)