The head of the Eshkol Regional Council, Haim Yellin, said on Sunday that it is time that Israel follow up on its words with actions and act to stop the rocket attacks from Gaza.

Yellin spoke to Arutz Sheva after terrorists once again targeted Eshkol with a rocket on Saturday night. The rocket exploded in an open area, causing no physical injuries or damages. This attack followed an attack on the Eshkol Region on Thursday night, in which two rockets were fired from Gaza.

“They are trying to accustom us” to a new wave of rocket terrorism, said Yellin. “This is the logic of terrorism. Terrorism without a response is not viable, both inwardly and outwardly. We may say that there’s no reason to strike back over a small shell which explodes in an open area, but this small shell will eventually explode on Tel Aviv,” he warned, adding that the Israeli restraint encourages Hamas terrorists to expand the range of the rockets until they reach Tel Aviv.

Yellin welcomed the recent remarks by Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, who warned that Israel “will not allow in any way a return to the routine of sporadic rocket attacks on our citizens and forces.” At the same time he added that the time to act against terror is now.

As for the feelings of local residents, Yellin said, “We are determined to continue to develop the area. We are not moving from here. We are imbued with Zionism and with the spirit of settlement.”

Yellin called on the government to make use of the plight of residents, including children and the elderly who have to live under the threat of rockets, in its public relations efforts. “The children are paying the price,” he said, wondering why Israel does not use the trauma and the plight of Israeli citizens as part of its foreign policy.

He said the Israeli government must immediately address the rocket terrorism, even when there are budget cuts in the making. “The government should know that if it does not take care of it, it will expand to all of Israel,” concluded Yellin.