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Israeli Killed in 50-Rocket Barrage That Goes Beyond Sderot

An Israeli man died from wounds he received when a Qassam rocket landed on his parked car. Forty-seven-year-old Ronny Yihya was a student at Sapir College, located near the town of Sderot, which has become synonymous with Qassams. He was the first Israeli to die in a rocket attack since two Israelis died in separate attacks last May. At least 50 rockets launched from the Gaza Strip fell inside Israel on Wednesday. In addition to the Qassams, three longer-range Katyusha rockets with greater explosive capacity than Qassams landed in the coastal city of Ashqelon; one fell in an industrial zone, one in a residential area and one exploded on the helicopter pad at Barzalai Hospital. There were no injuries caused by those rockets. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert responded to the onslaught of rockets by saying the country was "in a war," but ruled out deviating from existing policy toward the Gaza Strip, which included the targeted killings of terrorist operatives responsible for the rocket attacks. Speaking in Tokyo where he is visiting, Olmert said, "No one in Hamas will be immune to that war." Israel‘s army responded by bombing the empty offices of Hamas leader and deposed prime minister Is’mail Haniyya located in the Interior Ministry building. Palestinian sources report that a six-month-old baby was killed in the attack and at least 30 others wounded.