By RIA Novosti
Tel Aviv : At least 57 Israeli soldiers were injured, some seriously, as a result of a rocket attack Tuesday on a military training base, an Israeli army spokesman said.
The Qassam rocket, launched by Palestinian militants, exploded in the centre of the training base, located close to the border with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Although, according to the army source, the rocket early-warning system functioned properly, many of the soldiers failed to make their way to the bomb shelters on time. The majority of the soldiers had been sleeping at the time of the attack, the army spokesman said.
One soldier is in a critical condition while four have serious injuries. Many soldiers were reported to require treatment for shock.
The attack is the most serious by a single rocket on Israeli territory from Gaza. The Palestinian group, the Popular Resistance Committee, claimed responsibility for the attack, local media reported.