Jewish Agency Update: August 22, 2011

Yesterday, several mortar shells fell in the south. Hamas declared a ceasefire as of 9 pm but despite this, the residents of the South were forced to find shelter during continued rocket fire. A half hour after the cease fire went into effect, no less than 15 Kasam rockets, Grad missiles and mortar shells landed in southern Israel. Debris from a Grad missile destroyed by the Iron Dome system hit buildings in Ashkelon. Most of the rockets fell in open areas and didn’t cause damage. One Kasam rocket caused damage to a building but there were no casualties. In the morning, a mortar shell hit a public facility in the Eshkol regional council area.

In parallel to the action in the South, the police upgraded the alert for a terrorist action in Jerusalem, and beefed up its forces. The tense situation along the Egyptian border is still present.

Activities of the Fund for Victim’s of Terror

Though there were no physical casualties today, there were still many difficulty moments in which people needed medical attention and were treated for shock. Many of these people will be considered victims of terror and will be aided by the Fund for Victims of Terror.

The Fund’s staff continued to provide assistance to the wounded. They first assist those whose homes took direct hits and later they go to the hospitals to work with the wounded and finally after “shiva” thet visit the families of those killed. Yesterday, the Fund’s staff worked intensively with families affected in Beer Sheva, Ofakim, and the communities surrounding Gaza. Urgent cases were identified and in the coming days emergency assistance will be provided to theses families.

According to the guidelines of Bituach Leumi (Social Security) and the management of the Kaplan and Soroka hospitals, in the first 48 hours following an attack only the authorities are permitted to visit the wounded. Today, the Bituach Leumi staff began visiting the hospitals to map out the needs for the wounded. They were briefed on the ability of the Fund to assist and are accompanied in their visits by Hila Malmud, one of the Fund’s coordinators. After these needs are mapped out, an additional shipment of emergency aid will be sent to those hospitalized.

As for the families of those killed, as they receive assistance from the government, the Fund waits until after the Shiva period in order to allow the family to adjust to the terrible tragedy and only then will the Fund’s staff pay them a visit.

The Fund’s staff has reported that there is great tension in every place they visit, the towns are deserted and people are afraid to go outside. Additionally, it should be remembered that the population in the South has lived with this tension and escalation for many years. First responders in general and the Fund staff in particular, are receiving many requests from the population who are suffering from post-traumatic effects.

For more information on the Fund for Victims of Terror, please visit our website at:

https://donate.jewishagency.org/page/contribute

We will continue to keep you updated on our activities in the South and will also be updating our Web site with new information as it becomes available.