St. Louis Friends of Israel, a non-profit, non-partisan, St. Louis-based organization, strongly condemns the warlike bombardment of Southern Israel by the terrorist group, Hamas, which controls Gaza. In the past two days, Hamas operatives have fired over 180 rockets and mortar shells into Southern Israel, injuring seven civilians and causing thousands of dollars of property damage.

The latest rocket barrage follows the murder of an Israeli soldier and a three month-long campaign of fires, which have been started by incendiary devices on kites and balloons sent by Hamas terrorists into Southern Israel. The fires have caused millions of dollars in damage, and have destroyed hundreds of acres of farmland and protected nature reserves, causing the death of countless endangered species and an overall environmental disaster from which the region may never recover.

Israeli civilians who live in the city of Sderot and the surrounding areas have only 15 seconds to seek shelter when rockets and mortar shells are fired into Israel. Many parents and children spent last night in bomb shelters to escape the rockets. Fatalities and worse casualties were avoided due to Israel’s defensive Iron Dome system — built with U.S. assistance — which successfully intercepted 30 of the rockets that Hamas had specifically directed into populated areas.

St. Louis Friends of Israel calls on the entire St. Louis community and all peace-loving people to strongly condemn this horrific attack on the people of Israel. We hope to see the day when there will be a Palestinian leadership in Gaza that will renounce violence and will agree to live side by side with Israel in peace.

Tracy Goldstein, President of St. Louis Friends of Israel; Galit Lev-Harir, Vice President; Richard Senturia, Treasurer