A LOOK AT WHAT IT'S LIKE IN SDEROT

Here's what may be the most honest article I can find from the AP telling just what problems the residents of Sderot have in being the target of Hamas missile attacks:

SDEROT, Israel (AP) - Schools closed and residents huddled in bomb shelters or fled in buses Wednesday as another barrage of rockets struck this Israeli border town, the target of thousands of Palestinian attacks since 2001.

Late in the day, a homemade rocket hit an electrical transformer in southern Israel, the army said, knocking out power to the 24,000 resident of Sderot.

More than 20 rockets were fired on the town on Wednesday, wounding two people. The attacks came a day after rockets injured five other residents and destroyed several homes in the town - along with any remnant of a sense of security here.

Hamas' decision to rocket Sderot this week appeared to be an attempt to draw Israel into Palestinian infighting as a way of uniting warring factions. Dozens of Palestinians have died since Sunday in a surge of violence between the rival Hamas and Fatah movements.

Mayor Eli Moyal said more than 4,500 Qassam rockets have landed in the working-class town since 2001, killing seven residents and wounding dozens. Real estate prices have dropped 60 percent, commerce has collapsed and a recent poll indicated about half the residents would leave if they could.

The main impact of the rocket attacks on Sderot has been psychological, with experts warning the damage would be long-lasting.

"The anxiety level with the kids is unimaginable," said Tami Sagie, head of psychological services in Sderot. "We have a whole generation that was born into the Qassams, children whose first word is 'boom.'"

More at the first link. One thing that's disagreeable in the article is how the writer, Aron Heller, uses the term "palestinians". But other than that, I'll have to credit the AP for writing something that's by far one of the most honest articles you can find about the crisis in Sderot.