An Israeli woman, who later died, is treated after a rocket attack in Sderot, Israel, on May 21. AP PHOTO

The rocket fired at the town of Sderot hit a car. Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.

She was the first Israeli killed in a rocket attack since November. The salvo came during a meeting in Sderot between Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief.

Angry Sderot residents demonstrated outside the building where Solana and Livni were meeting and later burned tires, charging that the Israeli government has failed to protect them.

During a May 21 visit, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the residents he would remove bureaucratic obstacles and speed the process of reinforcing their homes to protect against the rockets, at a cost of more than $250 million.

Even before the fatal salvo, Hamas leaders were fearing for their safety. They turned off their cell phones, stayed out of official vehicles and reduced their movements as militant groups declared a state of emergency.

The precautions followed an Israeli airstrike May 20 on the home of Hamas lawmaker Khalil al-Haya that killed eight people. Israel denied al-Haya, who was not home at the time, was the target. But Israel's leaders said they would employ more drastic measures to stop the daily salvos of rocket fire from Gaza at Israel.

The Japan Times Weekly: May 26, 2007
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