IDF issues emergency call-up for 35 reservists; 4 Qassams hit Negev

The Israel Defense Forces called up 35 reservists on emergency orders to serve in Sderot on Monday, as Palestinian militants fired a fresh barrage of Qassam rockets at the western Negev.

Militants have fired scores of Qassams into Sderot and the western Negev in recent days. Four hit the area early on Monday, one of them slamming into and damaging a road. No injuries were reported. Some 15 rockets hit the Sderot area on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the escalation in the Gaza Strip has spurred concern in the IDF that Hamas will again attempt to kidnap Israeli troops, Army Radio reported Monday.

Last June, Hamas and other armed groups attacked an IDF post on Israeli soil bordering Gaza, killing two soldiers and wounding four, one of whom, Corporal Gilad Shalit, was taken captive.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/861946.html

Three women were wounded Monday, including one seriously and one moderately, when a Qassam rocket hit their car in the western Negev town of Sderot.

The third woman was lightly hurt in the attack, and all three were evacuated to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon.

Their car was hit as they were parking near a bakery in the town's commercial center.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/861946.html

Defense establishment estimates that Palestinians terror groups were eyeing Ashkelon as their next target led to great panic and preparation in the city on Monday.

Reserves forces were posted at the Magen David Adom center and police officers increased their presence in the city.

On Tuesday, Ashkelon Mayor Roni Mehatzri is scheduled to hold a special council meeting in which officials will discuss the security situation in the city, and the possibility that its residents may be faced with the same Qassam threat as their southern neighbor Sderot suffered.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3403090,00.html