Gaza border communities resume full routine after rocket attack
After a night of calm, the IDF and Security Cabinet decide to lift restrictions imposed on the Gaza border communities following Wednesday morning's rocket attack on a Be'er Sheva home and in the sea off the shores of a city in central Israel; school classes are held as normal and limitations on gatherings are withdrawn.
On Wednesday, the army restricted gatherings of more than 300 people in open areas and more than 500 people in closed spaces in the communities surrounding Gaza, and school was canceled in Be'er Sheva, Sderot and the Gaza border communities.
The decision to resume full routine was taken following an IDF situation assessment and a Security Cabinet meeting overnight Wednesday.
The rocket alert siren went off at 3:39am on Wednesday in Be'er Sheva and surrounding communities in the Negev region, following which a rocket hit a house, breaking through two floors of concrete.
At around 9:30am , the Code Red rocket alert was once again sounded in southern Israel, this time in two communities in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. There have been no reports of injuries or damage. An IAF aircraft attacked the terror cell that tried to launch rockets at Israel.
Seven people were treated for shock after the attack, including a 39-year-old mother and her three children aged 9, 10, and 12, who were in the house when it was hit. In addition, three people were taken to the Soroka Medical Center in the city suffering from light bruising sustained when falling as they were running for shelter.
Due to the size of the rocket and the force of the impact, heavy damage was caused to the house that was hit and it is at risk of collapse. A house next door was hit by shrapnel from the rockets, and its balcony collapsed. Debris was scattered throughout the street, damaging parked cars and adjacent structures.
The second rocket that hit the sea off the shores of one of the cities in central Israel had a bigger payload than normal.
According to a preliminary investigation by the Home Front Command, the rocket weighed about 20 kilograms, and penetrated through three concrete layers.
"The safety room saved the lives of those staying at home," the Home Front Command added.
In retaliation, the IDF attacked over 20 targets, including a terror tunnel, in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning in retaliation for the rocket fire launched from Gaza.
Among the targets hit all over the strip were Hamas military bases, rocket manufacturing sites, underground infrastructure, an offensive tunnel, and tunnel dig sites in other areas, including one of a sea terror tunnel.
An IAF aircraft also attacked a terror cell in the northern Gaza Strip that tried to launch rockets at Israel.
The cell was said to belong to an "errant" radical faction, which was formerly part of Fatah and now has close ties to Iran.
In addition, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered the closure of the Kerem Shalom and Erez border crossings and the reduction of the strip's fishing zone to three nautical miles.
