4 Kassams, 11 mortar shells fired at South from Gaza
By JPOST.COM STAFF
LAST UPDATED: 04/08/2011 17:42
Iron Dome intercepts 3 rockets headed for Ashkelon; 22 mortars fired in total since dawn; Palestinians say IDF Gaza strikes leave 5 dead, including 2 Hamas men and mother along with her child.
The Iron Dome anti-rocket defense system. Photo: REUTERS
Rocket and mortar fire from the Gaza Strip continued on Friday evening
as four Kassam rockets were launched towards Ashkelon.
Police said that the Iron Dome counter-rocket defense system intercepted three of the rockets and the fourth rocket exploded in the industrial area of southern Ashkelon.
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Less than hour later, three mortar shells landed in the Sha'ar
Hanegev Regional Council. Earlier in the afternoon, five mortar shells
landed landed south of Ashkelon and three in the Eshkol Regional
Council. All landed in open areas, causing no casualties or damage.
Palestinian sources reported that IDF strikes in Gaza earlier on Friday
afternoon left one woman, her daughter, and a third man dead in a
village near Khan Younis. Two Hamas members were also reportedly
killed during the strikes.
Since Thursday night, ten Palestinians were killed in various IDF attacks on terror cells throughout Gaza.
The IDF said that in
response to rocket fire from deep
inside a residential area in southern Gaza, IAF air craft struck two
terror cells. According to to the Palestinian media source, an
Israeli aircraft struck a group of civilians.
Since Friday morning, nineteen
mortar shells in total exploded across southern Israel.
One mortar exploded in a chicken coop in the Eshkol Regional Council.
The
explosions occurred in the afternoon hours, and schools held students from returning to their homes until the attacks passed. The explosions caused no casualties.
Earlier on Friday, Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that Thursday's school bus
attack "crossed the line," and adding that "the IDF acted immediately
last night and would continue to act with determination."
Speaking
from a meeting with the Czech president, Netanyahu commented that
"whoever tries to hurt and murder children: the blood is on his hands."