An Israeli child, 8, was seriously wounded Saturday when a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel, police and medics said. One other person was lightly injured, they said.

The rocket fell near the children in the center of the town of Sderot, they said. It was not clear if a house was hit.

The Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip had vowed to persist in their attacks despite an Israeli cutback in power supply to the coastal territory that was meant to pressure Gazans to stop the launchings.

The Israeli army and government have been reluctant to launch a large military campaign in Gaza against the rocket operation for fear both soldiers and Palestinian civilians would suffer a great number of casualties. But analysts have said that any serious rocket attacks will put great pressure on the political echelon to approve such a broad operation.

Rocket Ranges (click to enlarge - IICC Map)

An eight-year-old boy and his 19-year-old brother were seriously wounded Saturday evening in a Kassam rocket attack on Sderot. The barrage sent 11 people into emotional shock in addition to the casualties.

Both boys were wounded in the lower limbs and were rushed into surgery after they were evacuated by Magen David Adom paramedics to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. The youngster reportedly lost part of his leg in the blast, according to media sources. His older brother suffered shrapnel wounds as well. The boys' 15-year-old brother and their mother were also sent to the hospital to be treated for emotional shock.

The family was running for cover when one of the enemy rockets landed about two meters from them. Another rocket landed close to a residential building...

The jihadists of the Hamas regime proudly claimed last night that 154 of their Qassam rockets and mortars have been fired into Israel since Tuesday, including what the BBC calls "around a dozen" yesterday (Haaretz says 40; see the headline at right [In the Roth post -S]). Important to recall that the terrorists have no interest in who or what is hit or damaged or injured or killed - never claimed to care, and don't care. The full extent of their aim: just hit some Jews...

Since the Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in mid-June 2007 until the end of January 2008, 697 missiles (of which 241 in January alone) and 822 mortar bombs have been fired at Sderot and the western Negev.