After brief lull, fire from Gaza resumes
Mortar, rocket barrages hit south, vehicle damaged by shrapnel, 3 women treated for shock
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A barrage of mortar shells hit an open field in the Hevel Eshkol region near the Gaza Strip on Wednesday afternoon, bringing to an end a brief pause in fire that lasted for roughly four hours. Three women were treated for shock, damage was caused to a vehicle and a nearby field caught fire.
A second barrage, of five Kassam rockets, hit an unpopulated area in the Sdot Negev Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pEU-qv1Shoo
A video uploaded to YouTube purported to show rockets being fired from Gaza at Israeli targets on Wednesday in retaliation for IAF airstrikes.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the latest escalation from the Strip, which saw 20 rockets fired since nightfall Tuesday and 60 over the last two days.
Nearly all the missiles fell in the area closest to the Gaza Strip, but a Grad rocket that fell in an open field south of Beersheba on Wednesday morning — causing no damage — suggests that a further escalation may be imminent.
Overnight the IAF conducted seven airstrikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in response to the ongoing rocket attacks on Israel.
At least six Palestinians were reported killed by air force fire in the last two days.
The IDF has instructed residents of the Eshkol and Hof Ashkelon Regional Councils to stay near sheltered areas in anticipation of continued fire, but schools remain open. Police prohibited gatherings of more than 500 people, resulting in the cancellation of an Ashkelon college graduation ceremony.
On Tuesday, a rocket landed next to a police vehicle in the vicinity of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, in the Hof Ashkelon region, starting a fire and injuring nine border policemen. One man suffered serious injuries in the explosion, and several others were lightly injured by shrapnel.
“The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to target Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers and will continue to operate with strength and determination against anyone who uses terror against the residents of the State of Israel. The Hamas terror organization is solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip,” read a statement by the IDF’s Spokesman’s office.
Egypt’s ambassador to the Palestinian Authority said that his country is trying to bring about a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian groups in Gaza.
The Times of Israel Community.