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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Deanna Congileo, 404-420-5108

ATLANTA, GA….The Carter Center condemns in the strongest terms the rocket attack launched from the Gaza Strip against Israeli civilians in Ashkelon yesterday. According to reports, the "Grad-type" rocket injured at least 14 civilians, including a mother and her three-year-old daughter, when it struck the Hutzot shopping center.

"This is another act of terrorism," said former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. "It underscores the urgency of completing a ceasefire agreement that Egypt is mediating between Hamas and Israel."

Yesterday's attack marks an alarming increase in civilian casualties, as two Israeli civilians were killed in the past few days and a Palestinian mother and her four young children were killed during an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip two weeks ago.

An agreement being mediated by the Egyptian government calls for an end to any attacks from Gaza into Israel and from Israel into Gaza and an opening of the Gaza borders under specified conditions governed by the Palestinian Authority and Egypt. The Carter Center urges both sides to reach agreement immediately in order to prevent any further loss of life or another cycle of violence.

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The Center is a not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization working to advance peace and health worldwide by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; improving mental health care; and teaching farmers in developing nations to increase crop production. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in partnership with Emory University. Please visit www.cartercenter.org to learn more about The Carter Center.