The blare of the Color Red rocket alert siren sent residents of the western Negev scrambling for the bomb shelters early Wednesday morning just as children were walking to school. The alert, which came at about 7:40 a.m. was followed within seconds by the explosion of another Kassam rocket attack launched from northern Gaza. The short-range missile slammed into a kibbutz (agricultural community) in the Sha’ar HaNegev region. No one was physically injured, and there were no reports of damage. Earlier Wednesday morning, the IDF attacked a Hamas outpost and seven smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis and along the Gaza-Egypt border. The strikes came in retaliation for rocket attacks on southern Israel earlier in the day. No casualties were reported in the strikes. The Security Cabinet is meeting Wednesday morning to decide on a proposed 18-month ceasefire in Gaza and a deal to obtain the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. The ministers are expected to also decide whether to demand Shalit’s freedom prior to agreeing to any ceasefire, as has been strongly recommended by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Defense Minister Ehud Barak has said that he believes the two issues should be handled separately.
