Tensions in Israel's south and the Gaza Strip periphery area were high, Monday night, as terrorist groups fired hundreds of rockets into Israel from the terrorist enclave.
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"We've become the country's punching back," Daniel Rehamim, the secretary of Kibbutz Nahal Oz, located less than one mile from the Gaza border, said. "For a while now, firing on the south is no longer a red line for government leadership. The question is whether firing on Jerusalem and the center is a red line for the government."
For a few days now, kibbutz members have had the sense things will likely get worse.
"It's clear to all of us that when it starts in Jerusalem it can't end well. It's said that over time, they have greater abilities. Now they're showing us that not only do they have abilities, they also keep their word and the ultimatum they gave," Rehamim said.
"I do not doubt that if this amounted to just firing at the South, Israel's response would be minor. For a while now, firing at Ashkelon and even Beer Sheba isn't a red line for the leadership in Israel. It may be that their firing at Jerusalem or the center will be Israel's red line. Sadly, the state has succeeded in accustoming us to this crazy situation."
Haim Kuznitz of Kibbutz Zikim heard the shrill whistle of a rocket passing over his house from Gaza, Monday night.
"Nothing has changed since 2001, and nothing will change," he said.
"Then, too, they fired at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Just two weeks ago, they fired a missile from Syria at the Negev. Our defense system isn't the best, and then they recognize governmental weakness and religious legitimacy in Jerusalem and we get hit. It's a disgrace that for 12 years, the State of Israel doesn't know how to stop what's going on here," Kuznits said.
Tali Ben Zvi of Kibbutz Magen, located just four kilometers (around 2.5 miles) from Gaza, said, "All day long, the route home was blocked because they feared sniper fire. We are angry and tired of all these rounds [of fighting]."
Merhavim Regional Council head Shai Hajaj said, "This is a vile attack."
"We must not hold back, and we must exact a heavy price for the attack on us," he said.
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