Kibbutz Kfar Aza residents called it a Hanukkah miracle. The Geltzer family was not at home when a rocket struck their house on the kibbutz, which is located less than two miles from the Gaza Strip in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council.

The rocket hit near where their baby would have been sleeping, caused extensive damage to the house, and served as a wake-up call for any Israelis who thought there had been quiet in the Gaza periphery since the IDF pulled out of the Gaza Strip after Operation Cast Lead ended on Jan. 21, 2009.

Residents of the Gaza periphery say Kassam rocket attacks have been escalating over the past eight months, from just five in April to 28 in November. Incidents of sniper fire, rockets, mortars, attempted infiltrations, and placement of improvised explosive devices on the border rose over the same period from 24 to 280.

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