An Israeli coastal city copes with rocket fire

By Ari Rabinovitch

ASHKELON, Israel (Reuters) - David Sheni was fixing a hot water heater on the roof of his apartment building in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Monday when he heard the city's early warning system.

Seconds after the words "Color Red" blared three times from loudspeakers, a rocket struck the building next door.

"The whole building shook and debris flew off to the street below," Sheni said. "The rockets keep falling on the city. It's a war of attrition."

Ashkelon, a city of some 120,000 people, with white, sandy beaches and rows of luxury apartments is considered by many to be Israel's "southern Riviera".

But located about 12 km (7 miles) from the Gaza Strip, Ashkelon became a frequent target for Palestinian militants' rocket fire during a five-day Israeli incursion into the Hamas-controlled territory that ended on Monday.

Israel pushed deep into Gaza, saying it was trying to stop militants from firing short-range rockets at smaller border towns. As the violence escalated, Hamas started firing Soviet-designed Katyusha rockets, of which 21 hit Ashkelon.

More than 100 Palestinians were killed in the offensive, and medics said about half of them were civilians. Two Israeli soldiers also died in the fighting and on Wednesday, an Israeli civilian was killed by a rocket in the town of Sderot, the first such death since May.

The rocket fire on Ashkelon has been light compared to the daily barrages that pound the border towns, but its effects are visible. Stores are open but the streets are relatively empty.