Spending few minutes under rockets attack

It was afternoon of August 20, 2007. I was in Sderot, an Israeli town located just 800 metres away from Gaza Strip. I along with few members of an Indian Muslim peace delegation, which was invited to Isreal by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Australian Israel Jewish Affairs Council, climbed on a mountain to see the Gaza because the Israeli officials, citing security reason, didn't allowed us to enter inside Gaza, which is now under the control of Hamas.

We reached at the top of the small mountain and saw Gaza and its beautiful city Beit Hanoun. While we were discussing about the beauty of that city, some members of the delegation with excitement pointed their fingers towards Beit Hanoun. Suddenly, sirens -- placed in the different parts of the Sderot -- gave warning of a rocket attack. Before we could have understood anything one rocket hit the ground with a loud sound just few metres away from us.

Those present had to scramble behind the mountains to take shelter from rockets. Within minutes we heard sound of other rockets. We were scared. After few minutes, the sounds were stopped and we rushed towards our vehicle and took it away quickly.

Soon, we were out of the city. Later, i was told that Islamic Jihad had claimed the responsibilty for the attacks. Four rockets were fired on the city. A media organistaion quoting unconfirmed sources said that the rockets were fired to protest the delegation's unpublicised visit to Israel.

But very next day The Jerusalem Post, in its report, said that six Hamas activists were killed in an Israeli air strike just before our arrival in Sderot and the militants had fired the rockets to revenge that air strike.

It seemed that it was a co-incidence that delegates were present in the city when the rockets were fired. Anyhow, it was nice for delegation members to return from Israel in single piece.