Terrorist missile strikes Israel school bus

We are anguished and outraged to inform you that an anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip this morning struck a school bus in southern Israel, critically wounding a 13-year-old boy and lightly injuring the driver. The bus carries students of the Sha'ar HaNegev High School. The bus had just dropped off a group of students at the gates of Kibbutz Nachal Oz, less than one mile from Gaza, after a regular school day, and was apparently targeted. The injured, whose names have not been released, were taken to Soroka Hospital in Be'ersheva. One boy was reportedly suffering serious head wounds and is in critical condition. Israeli officials vowed to respond and held Hamas responsible.

The attack was part of a barrage of some 45 missiles and rockets fired from Gaza into southern Israel on Thursday, reports said, including a rocket that struck a house in the Eshkol region. No injuries were reported, but the house sustained damage. In response, an Israel Air Force helicopter fired on military targets in Gaza City while Israeli tank fire killed one militant and wounded two others.

This Federation has a close connection to Sha'ar HaNegev, as the Mayor, Alon Shuster, is a graduate of Gvanim, our Israeli leadership program which promotes Jewish identity and pluralism. This is the very same community that endured 8 years of missile fire culminating in Operation Cast Lead. What's amazing about the people of Sha'ar HaNegev, according to Federation Israel office director Gila Noam, is that the community has continued to express optimism, independence, pride and hope.

Our hearts go out to the victims and all of Israel. For further details on today's incidents, please see this Jerusalem Post report on the attack and the Israeli political response.

- by Jennifer S. Gorovitz, Jewish Community Federation CEO