BET SHEMESH- A teenage boy from the city of Bet Shemesh has been identified as a casualty of today's rocket attack in the Negev, the Five Towns Jewish Times has learned.

Daniel Aryeh Viflic (16), a resident of the Anglo enclave of Bet Shemesh was revealed to be the previously anonymous victim when pleas for prayers on his behalf were sent out on the local community email list.

A prayer gathering for Daniel is scheduled for this evening in Kol B'Rama, a local synagogue.

Daniel was injured when an antitank rocket was fired from the Gaza strip by Hamas terrorists, hitting the school bus in which he was riding. He suffered serious head trauma and was subsequently airlifted to a hospital in Beersheva where he is reportedly undergoing surgery.

The attack was part of a larger barrage of rockets that rained down on southern Israel, prompting Defense Minister Ehud Barak to order strikes against Hamas targets in the strip.

In a statement to the press, Barak's office reaffirmed that "he holds Hamas responsible for all terrorist attacks emanating from the Gaza Strip."