A Palestinian rocket struck near the home of Israel’s internal security minister.
Military censors on Monday lifted a gag order on reporting that on Saturday, a Grad rocket fired by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip landed down the road from Avi Dichter’s home in Ashkelon. A neighboring house was damaged.
Dichter was not home at the time of the salvo, and in media appearances tried to play down the close call.
Closed-circuit video footage of the street released to television stations showed Dichter’s security guards and neighbors running for cover upon hearing a warning siren. Within 30 seconds, the rocket struck.
Military censors announced that given the expanded range of Hamas rockets and the prospects of increasingly accurate barrages, media outlets would be barred from reporting on impact sites unless they receive official approval. A blackout has been placed as well on any visits by Israeli government or military officials to areas targeted by the rocketeers.
For many Israelis the new measures recalled the censorship imposed during the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
