Rocket salvo fired at Ashkelon

After a quiet night, rocket fire against Israel resumed this morning.

A quiet night for residents of southern Israel ended this morning at around 7 am, when a Grad rocket fired from Gaza hit the backyard of a house in Ne which does not have a protected room. The house and nearby stores were severely damaged, and 26 people were taken to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva suffering from shock. Only schools with bomb shelters will be open in Netivot today.

Two hours later, a barrage of Grad rockets were fired toward Ashkelon. An Iron Dome battery intercepted one rocket, and several rockets landed in open areas without causing any casualties or damage.

Shaar Hangev Regional Council head Alon Schuster warned of further escalation. "We're headed for a great conflagration in the Gaza Strip, which I hope won't happen," he said. "The blood of people who try to hurt our children will bear the consequences."

IDF attacks Gaza targets overnight

Overnight, the IDF responded to rocket fire against southern Israel earlier in the day. The Air Force bombed a launch site and a terrorist tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, and an arms storeroom in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF spokesman said that direct hits were made on the targets, and that the strikes were in response to the ballistic rocket fire yesterday. The spokesman added, "The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians, and will operate against anyone who uses terror against the State of Israel. The Hamas terror organization is solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip."

Reports on contacts for a cease-fire

Last night, a Palestinian website affiliated with Islamic Jihad reported that a cease-fire reached with the organization had come into effect. The organization, for its part, denied the reports, and said that it would continue to fight what it called "Zionist aggression". This morning's rocket fire against Netivot suggests that the rocket fire from Gaza will continue.

After cancelling all classes in communities bordering the Gaza Strip and in Gan Yavne yesterday, all local authorities decided to reopen education institutions today. The IDF Home Front Command is calling on residents to stay within 15 minutes of protected spaces, and it has banned gatherings of more than 500 people in communities bordering the Gaza Strip.

Minister of Defense Ehud Barak said last night, "Israel will not accept in any shape or form Hamas' changing of the 'rules' along the border with the Gaza Strip. During the last two days, the IDF, upon my instruction, has been evaluating the host of options for harsher responses against Hamas and the other terror organizations in Gaza. We will strike with an ever-growing intensity."

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 12, 2012

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012

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