A 15-year-old girl is in critical condition and a seven-year-old boy almost lost his hand as a result of rocket attacks targeting Jewish towns on both sides of Israel.s pre-1967 borders.

This morning, a young boy whose family was visiting the Gaza Jewish community of Netzarim was nearly hit by a mortar shell as he played in the playground next to the town.s synagogue. The projectile missed him by just six feet, but shrapnel flew into the boy.s hand, lacerating it severely. The boy was flown by helicopter to Soroka Medical Center in Be.er Sheva, where he is listed in moderate condition.

The boy.s father, Lior Peretz, told Arutz-7 that, contrary to media reports, his son has not had the hand amputated and that doctors continue to fight to save his injured hand. A second person was also lightly injured the same attack.

Saturday evening, a rocket fell on a populous residential area of Sderot, severely injuring a teenaged girl and wounding two others. The victims were rushed to Barzalai Hospital in Ashkelon and the 15-year-old girl was then transferred to the advanced trauma center at Be.er Sheva.s Soroka Medical Center. She is in critical condition.

Sderot is within the Green Line, but will become a front-line community if Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.s disengagement plan is implemented. Last week the Knesset Interior Committee heard testimony from security officials who claim there is no adequate plan to deal with the rockets, missiles and mortar shells that are expected to continue to emanate from Arab-populated areas of Gaza in the event that Sharon.s pullout is realized.

An IDF anti-rocket counter-terror operation was launched and 18 terrorists, most armed, were killed in the Zeitoun area. Photojournalist agencies have published pictures of terrorists rigging explosive devices in the street and alleys near the rocket-launching sites in preparation for clashes with the IDF.

IDF forces wounded an armed Arab terrorist at the Kissufim crossing Saturday night, though the terrorist managed to flee. Security forces continue to search and the crossing has been closed temporarily to Israeli vehicles.

In the Rafiah region, IDF soldiers fired at a group of armed terrorists approaching their position in an area closed to civilians, killing two.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 16th, 2005 and is filed under hotnews.