BICOM

A barrage of thirteen rockets fired from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel overnight, as tensions in the Gaza region increased.

Three residential buildings in the town of Sderot were hit by the rockets, two sustaining damage. The third, a house hosting a children’s summer programme suffered a direct hit, but the rocket failed to explode, avoiding any casualties. In addition, several cars were damaged and there were power cuts in some parts of the town.

In total, at least twenty rockets have landed in southern Israel since midnight. Three landed in open areas in the Shar Hanegev region and nine in the nearby Eshkol region. Two rockets, one heading for Ashkelon and the other for Netivot, were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. In response to the salvo, the Israeli Air Force last night launched strikes on fifteen launch sites and storage facilities in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian reports say that ten people were injured in the operation.

During the past two weeks, rockets have been fired at Israel on an almost daily basis from the Gaza Strip, which has been administered by Hamas since 2007. The increase in violence comes as Israel continues to search for the two Hamas activists from near Hebron, who are the prime suspects in the recent kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers, an ordeal which has gripped the country.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week pledged to find the suspects and act against Hamas in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. To this end, the IDF last night arrested a further thirteen Palestinians in the West Bank. Yesterday evening, Netanyahu convened Israel’s security cabinet for the third time in two days. However, no clear cut decision over Israel’s response to the murder of the teenagers appears to have been reached. Israeli Army Radio reports that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett favour significant military action in Gaza, but are opposed by other ministers including Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch.