Rockets from Gaza were continually fired toward Israel with few breaks Friday, injuring Israelis directly from shrapnel and indirectly from accidents related to the harried rush to seek shelter after red alerts sounded throughout the day.
Magen David Adom, Israel’s national paramedic and Red Cross service, treated 27 people from rocket-related injures, including a 57-year-old man who was in critical condition from shrapnel wounds. Rockets were fired particularly at Ashkelon, Be’er Sheva, and Sderot. A 50-year-old woman seriously injured from a fall Tuesday while running to a bomb shelter died today from her injuries.\
On Friday morning, hundreds of people also gathered for the funeral of 5-year-old Ido Avigal, who was killed Wednesday when shrapnel penetrated the safe room of his aunt’s apartment, where he and his mother were visiting. During the funeral service, mourners and Magen David Adom EMTs there had to take cover when the red alert sirens sounded yet again.
Rockets weren’t the only threat to Israelis Friday. An additional 14 people were injured in ongoing sectarian violence, including two Arab-Israeli children in Jaffa who sustained minor burns when a Molotov cocktail was thrown through the window of their home. A 15-year-old Arab-Israeli teen was also injured when he was shot by police in Lod while throwing a Molotov cocktail.
Jews and Arab have both been victims of the violence, observers have said, as well as perpetrators of it, creating dangerous situations for MDA ambulance teams when they try to extract injured parties from the scene. Five MDA ambulances already have been damaged and temporarily taken out of service since riots began Monday.
