World Jewish News

Photo: BEN HARTMAN (JPost.com)

Rocket strikes building in Rishon Lezion; light injuries

There were no immediate reports of injuries.
A person was moderately to seriously wounded after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck a building in Ashkelon Tuesday evening.
The attack followed a barrage of rocket fired at Ashdod, in which seven people were lightly injured after two direct hits on the city including one that completely destroyed a grocery store.
Earlier Tuesday, two rockets fired from Gaza towards Jerusalem landed in the Gush Etzion region, with one hitting an open area of a Palestinian village in the West Bank, police and the IDF reported. It was unclear if the rocket caused any damage or injuries, although AFP reported Palestinian paramedics were making their way to the scene.
The rocket set off the warning siren in the nation's capital for the second time since the start of Operation Pillar of Defense. The two rockets that set off the first such siren on Friday also landed outside the city.
Also on Tuesday, a salvo of rockets and mortars moderately wounded a reserve Armored Corps IDF officer near the Gaza border. Emergency forces evacuated the officer to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.
Palestinians fired some 20 rockets at Beersheba Tuesday morning, following a relatively quiet night on the home front. Iron Dome intercepted at least 11 of the Grad rockets but three struck the city, damaging a bus, homes and a car but causing no injuries.
Dozens more Palestinians rockets flew toward southern Israel throughout Tuesday, with direct hits also reported in Kiryat Malachi and Sderot. Iron Dome intercepted at least five rockets on trajectories toward populated areas.
The Israel Air Force has struck more than 1,400 targets in Gaza since Operation Pillar of Defense, entering its seventh day on Tuesday, began with the targeted killing of Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari last Wednesday.
MDA forces have dealt with over 252 casualties since the beginning of the Gaza operation, including three killed by a rocket in Kiryat Malachi and 21 injured as a result of falling shrapnel. The Iron Dome has intercepted more than 350 rockets in total since the start of the operation.
Amid rumors that the IDF was preparing to launch a ground operation, the government agreed to briefly hold off on sending troops into Gaza in order to allow time for cease-fire efforts in Cairo to continue, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post Monday.
Efforts to reach a cease-fire deal continued into Tuesday with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arriving in Jerusalem for talks.

JPost.com