 |
| A migrant worker from Thailand in Israel died on Thursday after being wounded by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip.(Xinhua/AFP) |
JERUSALEM, March 18 (Xinhua) -- A migrant worker in Israel died on Thursday after being seriously injured by a rocket fired from Gaza, said an Israeli army spokesman.
Launched by militants from the Gaza Strip, the Qassam rocket landed in a Kibbutz in Ashkelon, south of Tel Aviv, and exploded in a greenhouse. The worker, a Thai national, was hit and fatally wounded by shrapnel.
This is the third rocket that landed in the Jewish state from Gaza within 24 hours, which is first deadly strike from the coastal strip since the end of the massive Israeli offensive in January 2009, according to local daily Ha'aretz.
Jund Anssar Al-Sunna (Soldiers of Sunna Supporters), a pro-al- Qaida organization in Gaza, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
While Israeli Deputy Premier Silvan Shalom vowed to respond with "strong" means, the Islamic Hamas movement who controls the Gaza Strip blamed the Jewish state for the escalation of recent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians.
Small militant groups in Gaza fired makeshift Qassam rockets at Israeli targets from time to time, causing property loss and occasional casualties.
Israel has been responding to such attacks with air raids targeting militants, suspected weapons factories and smuggling tunnels in the area.
The clashes culminated when Israel launched Operation Cast Lead against the coastal enclave in December 2008. The three-week offensive, allegedly aimed at halting rocket fires from Gaza, left more than 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers dead.
 |
| A migrant worker from Thailand in Israel died on Thursday after being wounded by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip.(Xinhua/AFP) |
