Sunday in Israel. August 6th

10:04 PM Three killed, over 65 wounded in tonight's rocket attack on Haifa. Four locations were hit, at least one building collapsed, and people are still being instructed to stay in bomb shelters. 12 IDF soldiers killed from rocket attack in Kfar Giladi.

8:51 PM 1 Killed, 30 wounded, 1 critically in barrage of Kayusha attacks on Haifa. One of the hits was a 220mm Syrian missle, which collapsed a building.

7:30 PM A 12th soldier has died of his wounds in Rambam hospital in Haifa.

5:57 PM Daily stats: 160 Rockets. 11 Dead. 52 wounded, 38 still in hospital.

5:55 PM Olmert plays rough with European leaders.

"Where do they get the right to preach to Israel?" Olmert said when asked about criticism from European capitals of Israeli military operations that have led to a heavy civilian toll.
"European countries attacked Kosovo and killed ten thousand civilians. Ten thousand! And none of these countries had to suffer before that from a single rocket."

No word if the Europeans felt the slightest amount of embaressment, or just kind of muttered "Yeah...well that's a bit different".

5:37 PM Reuters has admitted the picture of Beirut mentioned earlier was faked. No one is surprised.

5:36 PM 11th soldier dies of wounds from Katyusha attack on Kfar Giladi.

4:29 PM Rocket hits house in Shlomi, security forces on their way.

4:18 PM Beit Kenneset also hit by rocket. No word of international condemnation of attack on religious site.

4:17 PM 96 rockets fired into Northern Israel so far today.

3:37 PM IDF foils another suicide bombing - last night forces caught woman near Shchem with 4-kg explosive belt. After a chase, the woman threw the belt out a car window. Woman and 4 others arrested.

3:29 PM Reports of direct Katyusha hit on house in the Krayot (Haifa area). Forces responding.

3:10 PM Sirens as far south as Zichron Yaakov.

2:51 PM Barrage of rockets fall on Kiryat Shmoneh, Haifa, Kiryot. No report of injuries.

2:34 PM Recently declassifed: One of the Hizbullah terrorists captured in commando ops in the last week (in Tyre and Ba'albek) was one of the kidnappers of the 2 soldiers along Lebanese border.

2:14 PM IDF Women Soldiers. YNET has a report of female IDF reservists who are part of the war effort. When I was up North 8 days ago, there was a female IDF medic assigned to our ambulance crew. She was drafted with emergency "tzav-8" call up orders, and we had some very interesting conversations. She was also American...and had only moved to Israel a few years earlier, yet her Hebrew was fantastic, and she was thrilled to be able to help as a medic for the IDF.

1:44 PM Air Raid sirens thorughout the North...Rockets land in Northern Golan Heights and Tzefat. Apparently Katyusha in Kfar Giladi hit IDF ammunition dump.

1:29 PM Air Raid Sirens in Carmiel and surrounding areas.

1:11 PM general Palestinian Population in PA controlled Shechem celebrates upon hearing the news that 10 were killed in Kefar Giladi. Taxi drivers plastering cars with posters of Nasralla. (YNET in Hebrew) Channel 10 TV reporting that the bomb threat in the PM's office...is only a suspected bomb, and the probability of it being an actual bomb is decreasing.

1:07 PM Confirmed Reports!!! High probability of attempt to smuggle a bomb into the Israeli PM's office. In other news, rockets land in Haifa...and surrounding areas. (Litvshe adds: Remenants of explosives detected on bag of BBC reporter.)

1:03 PM Breaking News: Unconfirmed Reports of high probablility of XRAY finding bomb in bag in PM's office. Entire office evacuated.

12:56 PM MDA reports 10 killed in Kfar Giladi. Israel Channel 2 TV reporting that 9 of the 10 are IDF reserve soldiers.

12:43 PM Reports of wildbrush fires in Nahariya area resulting from Katyusha attacks. No reports of injuries.

12:41 PM MDA reporting 9 dead, 4 seriously wounded in direct katyusha hit in Kfar Giladi

12:33 PM MDA declares Mass Casualty Event in Kfar Gildi due to large number of seriously wounded in Katyusha attack.

12:24 PM Rocket attacks in Northern Israel, hitting Kiryat Shmona and surrounding areas. Direct hit on home in Kefar HaGiladi. At least 5 seriously wounded...upstates soon.

11:49 AM WARNING: GRAPHIC PICTURES OF IDF SOLDIERS. You will not see these pictures in ANY foreign publication...only here at the Muqata. You have been warned! (hat-tip: The Mrs. @ The Muqata and her sisters)











11:34 AM Michael Levin - A Fallen Hero

Originally from Philadelphia, Michael Levin, 21, had been living in Jerusalem for the past five months. He made aliya as a lone soldier when he was 18 and lived on Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi before enlisting in the army.

Michael was visiting his parents in the US when fighting erupted in the north. He decided to cut his vacation short and come back to join his platoon.

Michael first came to Israel as a student at AMHSI in 2001. It was that time that we at Norman's, met Michael.

Together with Yossi Katz, his teacher and friend at AMHSI, Norman's restaurant have created a memorial page here.

11:31 AM Yisrael Meidad presents another MDA volunteer's experience up North. Yasher Kochachem!

11:15 AM Deconstructing Kfar Qana. Naomi Ragen has the whole, updated scoop -- read it here. See how the "professionals" doctor the scene to blame Israel. Read more about it here.

10:15 AM Katyusha Rockets land in Katzrin (Golan Heights). Damage reported, no injuries. Other locations hearing sirens, Ramot Naftali, and others (can't confirm where)

Yesterday (Shabbat) alot of rockets fell in the Haifa area. See lots of pictures of the damage here

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael