Gaza rocket strikes near Israel minister's house

Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz (R)
reviews an honour guard during a visit to
a military base in northern Israel May
30, 2006. Three rockets fired from the Gaza
Strip hit Israel on Wednesday, one striking
a house near that of Peretz, Israeli radio
and a witness said. (Haim Azoulay/Reuters)

May 31, 2006

Yahoo News

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Three rockets fired from the Gaza Strip hit Israel on Wednesday, one striking a house near that of Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz, Israeli radio and a witness said.

The Israeli army confirmed two rockets had struck a home in Peretz's hometown of Sderot and another landed in a nearby township. There were no reported casualties.

An Israeli man from Sderot whose house was hit by a rocket told Army Radio he lived about 100 meters (yards) from Peretz.

The barrage came a day after Israeli soldiers shot dead three militants preparing to fire rockets in the Israeli army's first ground raid into Gaza since a pullout last year.

A Palestinian policeman was also killed by the troops in the Israeli raid marking a new military response to frequent cross-border rocket barrages.

Israel's Haaretz daily newspaper reported the military planned to increase its ground action in Gaza to prevent rockets being fired at Israel.