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A soldier who was wounded in the Qassam attack early Tuesday morning (Flash90)
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| By Israel Insider staff September 11, 2007 |
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| Medics attend to soldier wounded in the attack early Tuesday (Flash90) |
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Two Qassam attacks early Tuesday morning dominated headlines today after one rocket hit a non-combat IDF basic training base in southern Israel and injured at least 69 soldiers. Another rocket was fired into Israel but caused no casualties.
"We consider this a victory from God for the resistance," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said on Hamas radio, according to Jerusalem Post . "We consider the resistance as the legitimate right of the Palestinians to defend themselves and restore their rights."
Yosi Namir, a response team member who was one of the first to arrive on the scene, described the events to Ynet as "truly severe... The rocket landed on a tent. Many of the soldiers on base were sleeping at the time, which increased the panic. We assisted MDA [Magen David Adom medics] in helping the wounded. Everything was a mess... soldiers shouting, calling for help."
Reports indicate that the attack would set the record for the largest number of injuries sustained in a single Qassam attack against Israel, according to Haaretz.
Although the rocket hit an empty tent used only in the daytime for administrative purposes, many soldiers were hit by shrapnel while sleeping in nearby tents during the attack, which took place at approximately 1:30 am.
One soldier was critically wounded in the attack, four others were seriously injured, and another five were moderately wounded. The remainder were lightly hurt, many of them suffering mainly from shock.
All of the victims were sent to local hospitals.
Two Palestinian groups claimed responsibility for the attack - the Nasr Salah al-Din Brigades, the Palestinian Resistance Committee's armed wing, and the Islamic Jihad. A spokesman for the Islamic Jihad said the Qassam attack was a response to the recent flare up of IDF action in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Islamic Jihad operatives celebrated the attack in their mosques in Gaza later Tuesday morning, according to Ynet, annoucing the number of casualties over loudspeakers. The operatives promised to continue similar activities.
The IDF has been responding to an escalation of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into nearby towns. In a recent attack, terrorist groups launched a rocket into a crowded daycare center in Sderot, saying it was "a gift for the start of the new school year." Outraged and frightened parents pulled their children out of school and demanded that the government do more to protect them.
The increase in attacks has provoked demands from across the political spectrum to step up efforts to thwart future attacks. According to reports, militant groups in both the West Bank and Gaza are intensifying efforts to carry out large-scale attacks ahead of the upcoming holiday season.
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