[ad_1]
A rocket fired from Gaza hit a residential home in southern Israel early Wednesday and the Israeli army began attacking activist sites in Gaza in reaction after days of increasing tensions.
Medical Service Magen David Adom said that a woman and her three children, whose home in Beersheba had been hit, were in shock after fleeing into their shelter after hearing sirens alert. According to the same source, two other people were injured during the panic.
The army said another rocket from Gaza had landed in the sea off the coast of one of the largest cities in Israel. No injuries were reported.
Following the attacks, the Beersheba schools were closed and the Israeli military chief cut short his visit to the United States to return and manage the crisis.
The rocket attack on Beersheba is the first for several months and the first that hits an Israeli home since the 2014 summer war between Israel and Hamas militant leaders in Gaza.
This was a day after Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman declared that it was time to carry a "severe blow" to Hamas after weeks of escalating violence along the way. border. Lieberman announced Wednesday that all crossing points in Gaza were closed in response to the attack and that the fishing area around Gaza was limited.
Israeli military planes hammered at Hamas targets as a first response. No casualties have been reported in Gaza.
Hamas has been organizing weekly border demonstrations for six months aimed in part at alleviating the paralyzing blockade put in place by the Israelis and Egyptians after the Islamist militant group seized power in 2007. This blockade has limited Hamas's ability to to govern and make life easier. extremely difficult for the 2 million inhabitants of Gaza. Electricity is provided approximately four hours a day, the unemployment rate is above 50% and the tap water is unsafe.
The demonstrations intensified as cease-fire efforts under the aegis of Egypt failed. Last week, some 14,000 Palestinians rushed to the perimeter fence, burning tires and throwing stones, incendiary bombs and grenades at the soldiers stationed on mounds of land on the other side. Twenty Palestinians crossed the border during Friday's demonstration. Seven Palestinians were killed, including four who, according to the army, entered Israel and approached a military position.
In response, Israel halted Qatar's fuel deliveries to the Gaza power station and threatened that if the violence did not stop, the consequences would be multiple. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened "very painful blows", saying that Israel was about to conduct a "different kind of activity".
"If that makes sense, Hamas will stop shooting and its violent explosions – now," he said Sunday.
Since March, 155 Palestinians have been killed during demonstrations. An Israeli soldier was killed by an elite sniper in July.
Israel and Hamas have waged three wars over the last decade and fighting has recently intensified, although neither side seems to be interested in another full-fledged war.
Hamas is seeking a ceasefire with Israel for a loosening of the blockade, but accuses Fatah, its rival in the West Bank, of defeating this effort. Repeated attempts to reconcile Hamas and the administration of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank have failed, adding to the desperation that fueled the protests.
