Israeli woman killed in direct strike from Qassam rocket

A seventy-five-year-old Israeli woman, Shlomit Katz, was killed yesterday when a Qassam rocket struck a house in Moshav Yesha, 15 kilometres east of Gaza.  Katz sustained critical injuries from the impact of the rocket strike and Magen David Adom medics on the scene were unable to resuscitate her. Katz was waiting outside one of the houses in the neighbourhood before the rocket alert siren sounded and only seconds before the rocket landed close to her. The Al-Quds Brigade, a military wing of Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. The deadly attack came four days after Jimmy Kedoshim, a father of four, was killed by a mortar shell on his kibbutz in the Negev.

In a separate incident, earlier yesterday two Qassam rockets hit the city of Ashkelon. One rocket struck an area usually crowded with children before they left for school and a second rocket struck the Ashkelon National Park.

It is expected that following the deadly incident Israel's response will be limited in order to avoid an escalation in a time when Egypt is trying to broker a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian factions. Israel will also try to avoid any action that may overshadow the visit of US President George W. Bush and other world leaders who will arrive in Jerusalem today for Israel's President's Conference, marking the country's 60^th anniversary.

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