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Katyusha launcher (AP file)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners July 30, 2006 |
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As of 6 pm, a record number of 148 rockets have hit the Israeli north today. More than 80 have hit Kiryat Shmona and surrounding areas. At least four people were hurt Sunday afternoon by a Katyusha barrage in Kiryat Shmona. Haaretz correspondent Yuval Azulay sustained moderate to serious wounds. Other residents suffered from shock.
Azulay was brought to the emergency room of Ziv Hospital in Safed, and his condition is currently moderate and stable. He is conscious, and expected to undergo more x-rays to check the seriousness of the injury.
Northern District Police said that some of the missiles were of types not seen since the outbreak of the fighting in the north. "These were rockets with warheads of dozens of kilograms of explosives and a range of more than 100 kilometers," said the commander of the police bomb squad in the Northern District, Chief Superintendent Yehuda Peretz.
"We are still examining the debris in order to be precise in our assessment," he added. "We know about the Hezbollah arsenal and therefore were not surprised."
As the result of rocket hits, six fires have broken out in Kiryat Shmona and the upper Galilee. Teams of firefighters are working to put out a fire, among others, that broke out in the forest. Since the rocket attacks began, firefighters have dealt with more than 550 fires, and extensive damage has been caused to woodlands on both sides of the border.
Another rocket barrage was fired by Hezbollah at Safed. The rockets landed in an open area and there were no reports of injuries or damage.
Two vehicles were damaged in a barrage on Nahariya, as were several empty buildings. Eight rockets hit Akko, five hit the Ma'a lot area and four hit the Rosh Pina and Hatzor area, ynet reported.
Rocket attacks continued throughout Sunday afternoon, with Katyushas landing in Haifa, the Krayot area and Akko, where residents were awakened three times in the morning by warning sirens. On the third alarm, a barrage hit the town, causing severe damages. One of the rockets scored a direct hit on a house and another one landed near a kindergarten.
Yael Magal, who lives close to one of the rockets' landing site, said: "I rushed to the fortified room and the second I shut the door behind me I heard a loud blast. I knew the rocket landed nearby, but was alone at the apartment and afraid to come out. Only several minutes later I mustered the courage to go downstairs and see what has happened."
More than 1,600 Katyushas have hit northern Israel since the start of the fighting.
The Health Ministry announced that 1,733 people have been treated at hospitals throughout the north, mostly for shock and anxiety attacks. 98 people remain hospitalized, 10 in serious condition, 36 in moderate condition and 52 with light injuries.
330,000 Israelis are reported displaced from their homes by rocket reports, and 1.5 million are in shelters or protectives structures.
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