Air raid sirens wailed in Ashkelon and in Gaza-border communities almost without end since Friday morning at 8 am, when the 72-hour ceasefire officially expired with more than 35 rockets and mortars fired on Israel within four hours.
Shortly before noon, Gaza militants launched a salvo on the Sdot Negev Regional Council – six rockets fell in open areas. Two people were injured – a soldier and a civilian – from a rocket near the entrance to a community in Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council.
A rocket was fired on Ashkelon from Gaza. Iron Dome intercepted the rocket, as Code Red sirens blared in Hof Ashkelon and Eshkol Regional Councils.
During one of the salvos, a few homes in Sha'ar Ha Negev were damaged by shockwaves and shrapnel.
The IDF has reissued warnings to all residents of the south to stay near bomb shelters and limit their time outdoors, and has asked residents of Central Israel to ensure that their bomb shelters are open in case of a renewal of longer-range rockets.
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for part of the salvo on communities in southern Israel.
Hamas held a rally in Gaza City Thursday where the Islamist movement's leader Mushir al-Masri told the assembled crowd, “The war is not over yet. Our fighters are still in the field, in their frontline positions. Our tunnels still exist, and they reach into Israeli territory. If Israel doesn’t agree to our demands, we will come there.” He added, “They will never force us to abandon our weapons, both on the battlefield and in negotiations.”
The crowd chanted “bomb, bomb Tel Aviv”, but commentators remarked that the rally was much smaller than Hamas usual demonstrations.
As of 10:25 am, the IDF was holding its fire. Shortly after, political sources said that Israel’s Prime Minister and Defense Minister ordered the military to decisively respond to Hamas' breaking of the ceasefire. The IDF began attacking Gaza around 10:40 am.
IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner tweeted that, “Following renewed terrorist aggression against #Israel, #IDF carried out airstrikes against terrorist infrastructure in #Gaza”.
Minutes after the rocket fire, several ministers called for a strong response. Economy Minister Naftali Bennett called for Israel’s delegation to leave the negotiations in Cairo, stressing that Hamas cannot “shoot at civilians as a means of pressure.”