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Israel-OPT: Sderot enjoying calm as ceasefire holds

SDEROT, 22 September 2008 (IRIN) - Sderot is enjoying a period of relative calm thanks to a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas reached in June but residents are worried that fighting will resume.

While there are still sporadic rocket and mortar attacks on the town, just 800m from the northern border of the Gaza Strip, residents say the calm "makes a difference of night and day".

Only one rocket has landed on the city since the school year began this month. Last year, the conflict prevented many children from going to school.

"I am really enjoying the calm," said Ruti, who runs a cafe in the town of 20,000 people.

"Not having to run for shelter, it's very good," she added. Before the lull, residents would regularly hear the "red alert", letting them know a rocket had been launched from Gaza.

The rockets have killed 12 people over the last seven years and residents and municipality workers said that on top of the deadly impact, the main effect of the projectiles was to spread fear among the population.

This and the accompanying trauma have yet to go away.

"Now we are stepping up counselling efforts, especially trying to take advantage of the calm, trying to help people, especially the children who all suffer from trauma," said Shalom Halevi from Sderot municipality.

However, he said important buildings, such as educational facilities, were still being fortified in case the ceasefire did not hold.

The projects are costing millions of dollars and aim to make the structures strong enough to withstand a direct hit from the crude but potentially powerful missiles.

"The rockets will come again. We have had periods of calm in the past. The ceasefires always end," Halevi said, noting reports broadcast on Arab satellite channels showing militant groups in the enclave preparing new batches of rockets.

For now, the occasional violation of the ceasefire by the militants is met with a tough Israeli response, generally a complete closing of all crossings to the enclave.

The rocket fired on 14 September led Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak to shut the crossing points for three days. Even when they were re-opened, the srip remained under a tight blockade, with Israel letting in only humanitarian goods and banning all exports.

As Hamas, which took over Gaza last summer, and Israel do not talk to each other directly, the ceasefire was reached through Egyptian mediation, prompting many to doubt its permanence.

For now, the residents want to live without fear for as long as possible.

"We'll enjoy the ceasefire as long as it lasts," was a common refrain.

"We are civilians, not a military base," said Halevi. "People want to live."

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Topics: Security situation, Ceasefire,