More Mortars Launched From Gaza

Israeli injured as mortars fall on Eshkol region near Gaza

Four to five mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip into the Eshkol regional council Wednesday night hitting an area resident. He suffered light wounds to his upper body.

The wounded man was airlifted by the IDF to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba while fully conscious. The attack followed another mortar attack in Sha'ar Hanegev. There were no injuries in the earlier attack.

Earlier on Wednesday, Southern regional councils situated near the border with the Gaza Strip released a joint statement following yet more mortar and rocket attacks on the area from Gaza.

"Escalation is only a matter of time. The threat in the area is constant and growing," the statement said. "We hope that the government will know how to relate to this reality, before formulating policy for the southern line of conflict for 2011. The government must realize that this will be an active line of conflict for the foreseeable future."

"This is only the latest in a series of security incidents," the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council said. "In recent weeks these incidents have risen greatly, and we are now being shelled on a near-daily basis.

Also on Wednesday, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi warned that the security situation at the Gaza Strip border is very fragile and may deteriorate rapidly, Army Radio reported.