Several rockets fired at Ashkelon, western Negev

2 rockets land in Eshkol area causing damage to homes, no injuries; 50 rockets fired from Gaza on latest day of attacks; police raise alert level in south to highest category; Iron Dome intercepts 8 missiles so far.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN, JPOST.COM STAFF
Police sapper carries Grad rocket 311 (photo credit: Reuters)
Police sapper carries Grad rocket 311
(photo credit: Reuters)
Two rockets landed in the Eshkol Regional Council on Saturday evening. One rocket fell in a community and caused damage to homes. No injuries have been reported.
A second barrage of projectiles struck the Eshkol Regional Council once again. There was no direct hit to homes.
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A rocket also struck a kibbutz in the Shaa'r Hanegev Regional Council. The rocket struck a main water pipe, but the Council reported that there were no disruptions in water supply.
Police in the south said on Saturday night that 50 rockets have been fired since Saturday morning.
The central Negev region was hit with 28 rockets in total. Police bomb squad officers found 13 rockets. Homes were damaged in the attacks. The Lachish region was hit with 22 rockets. Police found 4 of them. No damages or injuries were reported in those attacks.
The Iron Dome system was able to intercept one of the rockets, bringing the total number of intercepted rockets since Thursday to eight.
Acting Southern police head Lt.-Cmdr. Kobi Cohen held a special evaluation meeting on Saturday due to the escalating security situation. The meeting concluded with a decision to raise the police's level of alert to three - the highest. Back up forces, including bomb squad officers and Border Police, have been sent to the south from other police districts. Police will also maintain checkpoints and an increased presence into Sunday.
3 people remain hospitalized at Ashkelon's Barzilai Medical Center after suffering from shock due to rocket attacks.
Overnight Friday, 15 Grads were fired from Gaza into Israeli territory. The Iron Dome rocket-defense system intercepted five of them in the Beersheba and Ashkelon areas, Israel Radio reported.
Five Israelis were reportedly injured when scrambling to enter bomb shelters as rockets were being fired into their areas.
Three Hamas commanders were killed in an IAF airstrike early morning Saturday on a car in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Palestinian news agencies reported a fourth Hamas man was killed in an IDF strike late Saturday morning. The IDF said it was looking into the reports.
Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported that other IDF strikes took place overnight in Gaza City, a Hamas training base in the northern Strip and a neighborhood in  Khan Younis.
Artillery strikes were reported in the Rafah area along the Strip's southern border with Egypt.
Reuters contributed to this report.