A vehicle and two Hamas “observation posts” have been targeted and destroyed by Israeli Defense Forces, while the Iron Dome anti-missile system has intercepted at least three rockets fired at Israel from Gaza.

A “barrage of projectiles” was launched towards southern Israel after IAF aircraft and IDF tanks shelled the militant organization’s targets inside the enclave. The destroyed targets included a vehicle allegedly belonging to a Hamas operative, believed to have been “heavily involved” in explosive balloon attacks. In addition, the IDF struck two Hamas observation posts.

“The Hamas terror organization will bear the consequences for facilitating terror and instability,” the IDF said.

On Tuesday night sirens sounded in Hof Ashkelon, Sha'ar HaNegev and Eshkol Regional Councils when nine rockets were launched from the Gaza strip, the IDF said. One of the projectiles was intercepted by the IDF’s Iron Dome Aerial Defense System. Afterwards, Israel detected three more incoming rockets, two of which were tackled by the air defense system. There were no reports of injuries or damage from the other eight projectiles, which usually strike uninhabited areas.

Earlier in the day, an Israeli jet destroyed another car and an observation post used by Palestinians to launch arson balloons. Over the last couple of weeks, Israel has intensified its effort to stop balloon and kite launches of homemade incendiary devices, which have become a symbol of Arab resistance during the Great March of Return protests along the Gaza-Israeli border since late March. In order to put a halt to these terrorist activities, Israel has limited the amount of helium gas that can be brought into Gaza, restricting it to medical treatment purposes only. The IDF and the IAF, meanwhile, intensified the crackdown on Hamas, which they hold fully responsible for the upsurge in cross-border violence.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Gaza rocket: Two children and an infant were among the injured

Seven people have been injured after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a house belonging to a British-Israeli family in central Israel.

The rocket came down at 05:25 (03:25 GMT) in the community of Mishmeret, 20km (12 miles) north of Tel Aviv.

This is the furthest a Palestinian rocket has reached in Israel since the 2014 conflict with militants in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a trip to the US over the attack and vowed to respond with force.

So far no-one has said they carried out the attack. The Israeli military accused the militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, but a Hamas official said it had "no interest" in doing so.

A week and a half ago, two rockets were launched towards Tel Aviv and nobody was hurt. The Israeli military responded with dozens of air strikes across Gaza, which injured four people.

Hamas and Israeli officials later said those rockets had been fired "by mistake".

What happened on Monday?

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the rocket that hit the house in Mishmeret was launched from Rafah in southern Gaza, about 120km (75 miles) away.

The explosion from the rocket severely damaged the house and set it on fire.

Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service said it had treated two women who were moderately wounded and five other people, including an infant, a three-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, who had minor wounds.

The house belonged to Robert and Susan Wolf, two British-Israeli dual nationals who are originally from London.

Mr Wolf told the Daily Telegraph newspaper that he had been at home with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren when the rocket hit.

"If we hadn't got to the bomb shelter in time I would be burying all my family," he said.

The blast also caused damage to at least one nearby home and several vehicles.

Although the rocket triggered sirens in the Sharon and Emek Hefer regions, Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system was not activated.

When asked for an explanation, an IDF spokesman told the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper: "Iron Dome protects the areas in which it is stationed, according to operational situation assessments."

Intended to combat missiles launched from ranges of between 40km and 70km, each Iron Dome battery can protect an area of roughly 155 sq km.

But the BBC's defence correspondent Jonathan Marcus says there is a limited number of batteries available and they need to be deployed correctly to meet the most likely threats.

The failure to intercept this missile, he adds, is a reminder of the altogether greater challenge should Israel be engaged in a conflict on its northern borders, where the volume of Iranian and Hezbollah missiles might swamp its defensive systems.

Who was behind the attack?

IDF spokeswoman Major Mika Lifshitz blamed Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008.

"It's a Hamas rocket, itself made by Hamas," she said. "It has an ability to reach more than 120km."

"We see Hamas as responsible for all that happens in the Gaza Strip," she added.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Cars parked near the house were damaged by fragments from the rocket

Maj Lifshitz said the IDF was deploying two additional brigades to the area surrounding Gaza, and that there was a "very limited" calling up of reservists.

The Israeli authorities have also closed the Kerem Shalom and Erez border crossings with Gaza, and closed roads and suspended agricultural work near the boundary fence with Gaza.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a statement: "There was a criminal attack on the State of Israel, and we will respond forcefully."

The British ambassador to Israel, David Quarrey, said there could "be no justification of any kind for this attack".

Jason Greenblatt, the US special representative for international negotiations, wrote on Twitter: "We condemn this violence from Gaza and affirm Israel's right to defend itself."

Hamas has not commented on the attack publicly, but an unnamed official told AFP news agency that "no-one from the resistance movements, including Hamas, has an interest in firing rockets from the Gaza Strip towards the enemy".

The Times of Israel reported that the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza had launched an investigation to determine who was behind the rocket launch.

Islamic Jihad, another militant group, warned Israel against retaliatory strikes. "[Its] leaders must know that we will respond forcefully to their aggression," he said.

Could the situation escalate?

The timing of this rocket launch comes at a very sensitive time.

The Israeli prime minister is fighting a close election campaign in which he is brandishing his security credentials. He had just arrived in Washington, where he was due to meet President Trump twice and give a speech.

He will now go once to the White House and then says he will return home "to manage our actions from close at hand".

Already fears of an escalation were high with this week's anniversary of the start of protests at Gaza's boundary fence with Israel.

Egyptian security officials - who've been trying to broker a longer-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas - were due in Gaza this morning. Now, their efforts to bring quiet are in jeopardy. </s> TEL AVIV — A long-range rocket fired from the Gaza Strip early Wednesday landed in the largest city in southern Israel, destroying part of a house. It was the first rocket to hit Beersheba, a city of 200,000, since 2014.

Another rocket fired from Gaza landed in the sea near Tel Aviv — Israel's largest city.

The firing of more advanced rockets was an escalation in the ongoing conflict between militants in the blockaded Palestinian enclave and Israel. Israel said that Hamas has fired more than 350 rockets into Israel over the last six months.

A woman and her three children, including an infant, were treated for shock after the rocket hit her house in Beersheba. After hearing sirens warning of an attack, the family took cover in their home’s bomb shelter, a military spokesman said. Schools in the south of Israel were closed on Wednesday as a result.

In response to Wednesday’s attack the Israeli military said that it struck more than 20 military targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including what it described as a tunnel, Hamas facilities and a manufacturing facility. It also closed the two border crossings between Gaza and Israel and reduced Gazan’s fishing space to three nautical miles.

One person was killed and three injured, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks, which took place on the eve of a visit by the chief of Egyptian intelligence. He hopes to broker a long-term cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians as well as a reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah.

A joint statement by an umbrella organization representing several Palestinian military wings denied firing the missiles.

“The resistance wings in the joint operations room salute the Egyptian effort to achieve the demands of our people, and reject all the irresponsible attempts that try to deviate the compass and sabotage the Egyptian effort, including the rocket fire last night,” said the Joint Chamber of Palestinian Resistance.

Israel holds Hamas responsible for the attack, military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said.

“We strongly urge Hamas not to test our resolve,” he said, warning the group from further escalating the conflict.

Rockets and more recently incendiary kites and explosive balloons are frequently aimed at the communities neighboring Gaza, though this is the farthest they’ve reached in four years. The Israeli military has responded to these with strikes on the desperately poor enclave.

There are also regular and deadly protests next to the border fence — which turn violent at times — aimed at easing the blockade. This past Friday more than 14,000 gathered in different locations, where they threw rocks, explosive devices, firebombs and grenades at IDF troops and the security fence, the Israeli military said, adding that it fired on the protesters. Five Palestinians were killed and 60 injured, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Since March, 155 Palestinians have been killed during the protests. One Israeli soldier was killed by sniper fire in July.

Hamas won elections to rule Gaza in 2006. Since then, there have been three major rounds of fighting between Israel and Gaza. Israel and Egypt have enforced a border blockade since 2007, which has made it increasingly difficult for Hamas to govern the densely populated strip of land that is home to some 2 million.

It has also devastated Gaza's economy, made it virtually impossible for people to enter and exit the territory, and left residents with little clean water and just a few hours of electricity a day.

Israel argues that Hamas could have ended the suffering of Gaza's people by disarming and renouncing violence.

Rachel Elbaum reported from London; Paul Goldman and Lawahez Jabari reported from Tel Aviv. </s> TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Air raid sirens wailed late Thursday throughout Tel Aviv, Israel's densely populated commercial capital, after an apparent rocket attack from the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said "it appears" that two rockets were launched from Gaza. It would be the first time that Tel Aviv has been targeted by rocket fire since a 2014 war against Gaza militants.

Israel's Channel 10 news, citing anonymous military officials, said the rockets were Iranian-made Fajr rockets. It said one of the rockets landed in an uninhabited area, and that there were no reports of injuries.

In Gaza, there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Gaza is controlled by Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel's destruction. The territory is home to other militant groups, including Islamic Jihad, an Iranian-backed armed organization that also has a formidable rocket arsenal. </s> The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday, after air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv for the first time since summer of 2014, that it had registered launches of two rockets from the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli military spokesman cited by Reuters said the incident was under investigation. Local media reported that several residents had heard sounds similar to those of an explosion.

The press service of the Israel Defence Forces confirmed that the sirens had sounded for the first time since summer 2014. At least two missiles were fired from the Gaza Strip toward the Tel Aviv area, Reuters reported, citing local media. One rocket was intercepted by the anti-missile Iron Dome system, according to media reports.

“Two launches from the Gaza Strip toward Israeli territory were registered”, the IDF press service said in a press release.

Israel’s Channel 10 news said Thursday, citing anonymous military officials, that one of the rockets landed in an uninhabited area, and that there were no reports of injuries.

Tensions between the Israelis and the Palestinians near the fence separating Gaza from Israel have been mounting since last March, which marked the beginning of the Great March of Return. The situation on the Gaza border has reportedly escalated due to continued shelling and launches of arson balloons from Gaza into the Israeli territory, and the shooting and killing of protesters, medics, journalists and children near the border by IDF soldiers. </s> A barrage of around 50 rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza on Saturday, witnesses said, and the Israeli military said it responded with an air strike targeting “two rocket launchers” in the Palestinian enclave.

The army said Saturday that sirens warning of incoming projectiles sounded several times in southern Israel.

In response, Israeli aircraft targeted two launch sites in northern Gaza. Local media reported three Palestinian casualties.

The deadly flare-up between Israel and Gaza militants enters a second day, shattering a month-long Egyptian-mediated easing of hostilities.

On Friday, Israel said two soldiers were wounded by gunshots from the Hamas-controlled territory. No group claimed responsibility for the shooting.

Israeli aircraft carried out retaliatory strikes, killing two Hamas militants. Two other Palestinians were killed during the weekly protests along the Israel-Gaza perimeter fence.

Egypt has been trying to reach a long-term cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, who fought three wars the past decade. </s> JERUSALEM: In response to rocket attacks that took place in the Southern city of Beersheba and greater Tel Aviv area on Wednesday, the Israel defence forces have bombed several targets in Gaza.

IDF spokesperson Lt.Col. Jonathan Conricus said "There are only two organizations in Gaza that have this caliber of rocket: Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It's not hard to narrow down who's behind it", reports The Times of Israel. However, in a joint statement, Hamas and PIJ publicly condemned the rocket attack, saying it was "irresponsible" and threatened to derail an Egypt-led negotiation effort. The IDF said it bombed some 20 targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including an attack tunnel being dug toward Israel from outside the city of Khan Younis.

The entrance to a naval tunnel, which would be used by Hamas's naval commando unit, was also destroyed in the retaliatory airstrikes.

Israeli air force jets bombed a number of weapons factory, military bases and other facilities connected to Hamas's tunnel-building efforts.

Palestinian media reported that the retaliatory strikes hit throughout the Gaza Strip in southern Gaza in Rafah and Khan Younis, around the central Gaza City and in the north of the enclave near Beit Lahiya.

Three people were moderately wounded in the strikes near Rafah, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

An Israeli aircraft also targeted a group of Palestinian terrorists as they attempted to launch a projectile at Israel from the northern Gaza Strip, the spokesman said Hamas and PIJ said they "affirm our preparedness to confront the occupation's assaults.

Our guns will continue to be a protective shield for our people and our weapons are drawn at the face of our enemy.

" IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis said, "Iron Dome air defence batteries were not activated during the rocket attack".

Rocket attacks on Beersheba home to more than 200,000 people are rare and considered a major escalation. It was only the second rocket fired at Beersheba since the 2014 Gaza war.

The previous rocket, which struck a field north of Beersheba on August 9, came as Palestinians fired dozens of projectiles at Israeli communities along the Gaza border.

Following the rocket attack, schools were closed in Beersheba and in the communities immediately surrounding the Gaza Strip, the army said.

Residents of the Gaza periphery were also barred from gathering in groups larger than 300 people outdoors and 500 people indoors. </s> Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket at the southern city of Beersheba early Wednesday that landed and exploded in the courtyard of a house, causing serious damage, but no injuries.

The Israel Defense Forces said it had identified two launches from Gaza. One targeted Beersheba located some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Strip. A second rocket was fired out to sea and landed off the coast of a major city in the Tel Aviv area.

Rocket attacks on Beersheba are rare and considered a major escalation. The attack came after Israel’s defense minister warned the military was gearing up for a major strike on Gaza to stop ongoing violence.

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Rocket warning sirens blared at 3:40 a.m. and residents reported hearing a loud blast. The rocket landed in the courtyard of a private house. No one was hurt in the explosion but five people were being treated for anxiety.

A Magen David Adom medic said among those treated were a mother and her three children. The woman had lightly hurt her head when she fell running to the bomb shelter when the siren went off, he said, adding that they were taken to a hospital.

A woman and three children were inside this home in #Israel when the rocket from #Gaza slammed into their home. pic.twitter.com/1210PdqRxF — Emanuel Miller (@emanumiller) October 17, 2018

It was only the second rocket fired at Beersheba since the 2014 Gaza war. The previous rocket struck a field north of Beersheba on August 9 and came as Palestinians fired dozens of projectiles at Israeli communities along the Gaza border.

Most of those attacks are carried out with mortars or short-range Qassam rockets, however, Palestinian terror groups can only reach Beersheba with longer-range rockets, notably the Grad.

Even though the sirens went off, the rocket was not intercepted by the Iron Dome system.

Following the attack, the Beersheba municipality announced that schools in the city would be closed for the day.

In an initial response, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman ordered the crossings into Gaza closed. Media reports said IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot was cutting short his visit to the US, following the attack.

The attack come after Liberman on Tuesday urged the cabinet to authorize large-scale military campaign against the Hamas terror group in Gaza in light of ongoing riots and violence along the Strip’s security fence.

Sirens wail across Beersheva as Red Alert is activated for an incoming rocket from #Gaza. #Israel pic.twitter.com/1NlCp2YIHq — Joe (@Jtruzmah) October 17, 2018

“I’ve held a series of meetings with the head of the Southern Command, the head of the [Gaza] Division, the brigade commanders, the battalion commanders, also with soldiers. My impression is that they all have reached the understanding that the situation as it is today cannot continue,” Liberman said.

According to the defense minister’s assessment, a “serious blow” to Hamas would result in four to five years of calm along the Gaza border — akin to the quiet that persisted from the end of the 2014 Gaza war, known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge, until the start of the current round of clashes in late March, a few limited skirmishes notwithstanding.

Since March 30, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have participated in a series of protests and riots dubbed the “Great March of Return,” which have mostly involved the burning of tires and rock-throwing along the security fence, but have also seen shooting attacks and bombings as well as the sending of incendiary balloons and kites into Israel.

There have also been several flareups that took Israel and Hamas to the brink of war, with Palestinians firing rockets into Israel and the IDF responding with airstrikes.

Some 155 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more have been injured in the clashes with IDF troops, according to AP figures; Hamas has acknowledged that dozens of the dead were its members. One Israeli soldier was shot dead by a sniper on the border.

The riots began as weekly events, but in recent weeks — due to both an internal Palestinian conflict and failed indirect negotiations with Israel — the clashes have become a daily event.

The defense minister said the “straw that broke the camel’s back” and convinced him that a full-scale military action was necessary in Gaza was the rioting that took place along the border last Friday evening, after Israel allowed additional fuel into the Strip that had been purchased by Qatar.

“We have exhausted all other options in Gaza,” Liberman said during a visit to the IDF’s Gaza Division headquarters near the Strip.

“Now is the time to make decisions,” he added.

The security cabinet, which approves such military campaigns, met Sunday to discuss the possibility of an attack against Hamas, but ultimately decided to wait until the week’s end in order to give negotiators a chance to convince the group to abandon its current violent tactics.

On Wednesday, the cabinet was due to meet again, but the meeting was called off in the wake of the overnight rocket attack. </s> JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli medical services say a man has been killed by a rocket that hit an apartment building in southern Israel and a woman was critically wounded.

Magen David Adom says the two were trapped in an apartment in Ashkelon that was struck by a rocket from Gaza early on Tuesday. It's the first casualty in Israel from the most intensive wave of attacks since the 2014 Gaza war.

Gaza militants pummeled Israel overnight with dozens of rockets and the Israeli military responded with strikes against militant targets in Gaza.

The military says there were some 370 launches from Gaza since the current round began on Monday afternoon. About 100 of them were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defense system.

Israel has struck more than 100 militant targets in Gaza.

An Israeli soldier walks by a house damaged by a missile fired from the Gaza Strip in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Palestinian militants bombarded Israel with dozens of rockets and mortar shells Monday, while Israeli warplanes struck targets throughout the Gaza Strip in what appeared to be the most intense exchange of fire since a 2014 war. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike hit Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV station in the Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. The station went off the air after the airstrike. Minutes earlier, it had halted its programming and been broadcasting a still image of its logo after the building was hit by a warning missile. Shortly after, three loud explosions were heard and the screen turned black. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

An Israeli soldier stands near a burning bus after it was hit by a mortar shell fired from Gaza near the Israel Gaza border, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Israel's military says it is prepared to step up its efforts against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip if rocket fire at Israel continues. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Flares fired from Israeli forces light up the night sky in Gaza City, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, as the Israeli military launched fighter jets to strike "terror targets" throughout the Gaza Strip. Palestinian militants on Monday fired dozens of rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel, critically wounding an Israeli teen, in an intense barrage aimed at seeking revenge for a deadly Israeli military incursion late Sunday. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
Two rockets are fired from the Gaza Strip at Tel Aviv, Israel; neither rocket was intercepted by the IDF's Iron Dome system.