Qassams in their Back Yard
By Simon Lev
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Driving into the Western Negev
community of Sderot, you
can look out the window and see
a large billboard with a picture of
a Qassam rocket and the words
"od mati" or "till when?"
That’s the question on a lot of
minds.
In 1996, Israel built a security
barrier which physically separated
the Gaza Strip from the rest of
the country. This made it much
more difficult for the terror cells
in the Strip to infiltrate into
Israel, so they switched tactics. In
2001, homemade Qassam rockets
started landing in Sderot and
other communities in the Western
Negev. Even longer range Katyusha
rockets have hit Ashkelon.
Qassam rockets come in three
sizes and are built in workshops
which are often in the middle
of residential areas. It is very
problematic for the IDF to
destroy these workshops because
there is almost always collateral
damage. The Palestinians can
always accuse the IDF of targeting
innocent civilians.
Ironically, most of the materials
for the rockets come from Israel.
The steel casings are made from
ordinary industrial metal, and the
propellant is a mixture of fertilizer
and sugar. The explosives are
often smuggled into Gaza from
Egypt, where Bedouin tribes have
made a cottage industry out of
removing explosives from old land
mines. But recently, the Iranian
military has been sending in more
advanced and reliable plastic
explosives. Although the rockets
are unguided and impossible
to aim (except at a general area)
it doesn't mean they are not
dangerous. Useless as military
artillery, they are highly effective
as a weapon of terror against a
civilian population.
A total of around 4,500 rockets
have been fired at Israel from Gaza
since 2001, causing 23 deaths and
at least 450 injuries. When Israel
pulled its civilian and military
presence out of the Gaza Strip in
the summer of 2005, there was
hope in some quarters that the
rocket attacks would cease. But
they have only intensified.
Mickey Rosenfeld, an Israeli
National Police spokesman says,
"If Israel thought that terrorism
would stop by leaving the Gaza
Strip, we've experienced exactly
the opposite. In fact, four times
the number of rockets have landed
since the disengagement."
There has also been a lot of
psychological damage caused by
the rockets. Yigal Levi, a social
worker in Sderot, has estimated
that over 80% of the population
experience Post Traumatic Stress
Syndrome, including almost all
the children.
Many professionals and other
residents of means have already
left Sderot. Many more would
like to move away but can’t find
anyone to buy their homes. Health
and other services in town have
suffered. Many local factories have
shut down. It’s a difficult situation
made even more heartbreaking
by the government’s seeming
indifference and neglect.
But help is coming.
A coalition of Jewish and
Christian kehilot and organizations
in the United States and Europe
have joined together to raise funds
and awareness for Operation
Lifeshield, an Israeli non-profit
organization which builds bomb
shelters for communities on the
front lines of Israel’s conflict
zones, both around Gaza and in
the North.
Eliyahu Segal, the general
manager of the Western Negev
Regional Council, describes the
situation. "For over seven years,
this region has been living a
different kind of war on a daily
basis, one that threatens civilians
of all ages. For us, it’s a question
of to be or not to be."
"We are grateful for the
response of the worldwide Jewish
and Christian communities and
Operation Lifeshield in launching
this campaign to ensure that
local people do not have to worry
about a lack of shelters," adds Alon
Schuster, mayor of the Western
Negev Regional Council.
Josh Adler, one of Operation
Lifeshield’s founders, agrees. "We
are in awe at the way the Christians
across the world have opened
their hearts and their wallets to
the plight of the communities
close to Gaza."
The small community of
believers in Sderot has been trying
to do its part during the crisis.
Dina (family name withheld)
says, "In the physical realm, it
causes inconveniences. When you
walk around town, you're always
thinking about where can you
hide. But the attacks have guided
us to continuously depend on the
Lord. Our faith becomes a practical
thing. We remember Isaiah 54:17
which says, 'No weapon made
against you will prosper.' Without
hope in the Almighty, fear takes
control and suppresses us. We are
continuously praying for people
in the town, trying to support
them during this hard time."
The believers are not planning
on joining the exodus from
Sderot. They believe that God
placed them there because they are
needed. Although many residents
try to leave town on their days off,
believers have regular prayer and
Bible study meetings in homes
twice a week and maintain a
prayer vigil for their neighbors.
"We are happy to be at a place
where God’s will can be fulfilled
in our lives. We are the salt and
the light in this town. The Lord
gave Israel a great destiny. The
history of salvation started with
the Jews and it will end with them.
God wants all Israel to turn to
Him. We believe in the promises
of II Chronicles 7:14, which says
‘When My people who are called
by My name humble themselves
and pray and seek My face and
turn from their wicked ways, then
I will hear from heaven, forgive
their sins and heal their land.’"
Echoing the thoughts of other
Israeli believers, Dina explains that
what looks like a difficult situation
in the natural can be a blessing for
the work of the Kingdom.
"When people have problems,
they tend to be more open to the
Lord and seek Him. This provides
opportunities for us to speak
of hope and salvation through
Yeshua. That is why we’re here,
and it's why we’re staying here."
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Qassams are dug out of a wheat field just north of Sderot.
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A local hair salon tries to keep a sense of humor.
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Operation Lifeshield bus stop shelters.
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