Palestinian rocket attack kills toddler

PALESTINIAN militants fired a barrage of home-made rockets at the Israeli border town of Sderot yesterday, killing an Israeli man and a three-year-old boy near the toddler’s nursery as youngsters were arriving at school.

It marked the first time in nearly four years of fighting that Israelis were killed by rockets from Gaza, and harsh Israeli retaliation was expected.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called an emergency security Cabinet meeting an indication that he would seek special approval for military action.

Seven people, including the toddler's mother, were wounded in the rocket attack, for which the Islamic militant group Hamas claimed responsibility.

The rockets fell just hours after militants from Hamas and the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades blew up an Israeli army outpost in the heart of Gaza with hundreds of pounds of explosives, killing an Israeli soldier and wounding five.

However, the burst of attacks was not expected to disrupt Mr Sharon's plan to withdraw from Gaza by the end of 2005. Mr Sharon has said the withdrawal is crucial for Israel's security and he is determined to go ahead.

In yesterday's attack, one rocket hit a street between the Lilach and Yasmin nursery schools as children were being dropped off.

"There was a huge boom. I was very frightened and ran away," said 18-year-old Chen Smadja, who was on her way to a nearby high school.

A 50-year-old Israeli man and a three-year-old boy were killed.

The child was just a yard from the site of impact, witnesses said. The blast blew out the windows in the nursery schools, which had flowers painted on the outside walls.

Hospital officials said seven people were wounded, including the toddler's mother, who was in serious condition.

The other missile hit near a small commercial centre, blowing out car windows, but causing no injuries.

Mr Sharon said yesterday that he had decided to speed up the voluntary evacuation of settlers from the Gaza Strip. The prime minister told parliament's Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee that settlers wishing to leave Gaza would get an immediate down payment or compensation, rather than in August, as initially planned. Mr Sharon also said those leaving on their own would receive more money than those being removed forcibly by Israeli soldiers, legislators said.

Mr Sharon's plan of "unilateral disengagement" calls for the evacuation of all Gaza Strip settlements and four West Bank enclaves by September 2005.

Some 7,500 Israelis live in the Gaza Strip, among 1.3 million Palestinians.