by NTEB News Desk
Full-blown war about to break out
Gaza
terrorists continued to fire rockets into southern Israel on Thursday
morning killing three people and injuring two others in Kiryat Malachi.
More than 200 rockets have been fired from Gaza into the South in the 24
hours after the IDF
launched a campaign Wednesday
to root out the terror infrastructure in the coastal territory,
beginning with the targeted killing of Ahmed Jabari, the chief of
Hamas's military wing.

MDA
paramedics treated five wounded people at the site of the Kiryat
Malachi attack, in which a rocket hit a four-story building. Three
people were pronounced dead on the scene and two others were suffering
moderate injuries, including a baby.
A
house in Ashdod and a school in Ofakim near Beersheba also sustained
damage from rockets on Thursday morning. Rockets also landed in the
Eshkol Regional Council area, Gan Yavne and Ashkelon.
The
IDF Spokesman's Office stated the Iron Dome rocket defense system has
successfully intercepted more than 80 rockets since the operation began.
separate
IDF spokesman confirmed that all Palestinian terror factions took part
in rocket fire overnight Wednesday, with Hamas trying to take the lead.
He added that the IDF "believes the rocket fire will intensify."
Since
beginning its operation, the IDF has struck nearly 200 Hamas and
Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza, including several terrorist cells
preparing to fire rockets at Israel and medium-range rocket launchers
located across the Strip.
Tank fire also was directed at terror targets, he added.
Palestinian
sources said that 13 people were killed in Gaza as a result of the IAF
strikes, with more than a hundred suffering injuries.
The
spokesman concluded by describing the Hamas-ruled Strip as "a forward
Iranian base," and urged the populace to remain steadfast, as "home
front resilience is vital for the continuing operation."
Schools
within 40 km. of the Gaza Strip were declared closed Thursday, and
residents were urged to follow directives from the IDF Home Front
Command. Magen David Adom paramedics treated 13 Israelis for injuries
suffered overnight prior to the fatal strike in Kiryat Malachi, the
organization said. Of the injured, four suffered light wounds while nine
more suffered shock symptoms.
Gaza-border communities were in lockdown, with residents ordered to remain in their homes if they live within 7 km. of Gaza.
Explosions have been reported as far away as Dimona, some 75 km. from the Gaza Strip.
At
an emergency meeting in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, the security cabinet
authorized Defense Minister Ehud Barak to mobilize reservists if needed.
The
cabinet also agreed that the IDF should continue to act against
terrorist infrastructure and activity in Gaza. It instructed the Foreign
Ministry to begin a diplomatic public relations campaign to explain
that Israel was acting in self-defense against military targets, as the
continued rocket barrage had become intolerable.
Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on the telephone on Wednesday night
with US President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and EU foreign
policy chief Catherine Ashton. He was also scheduled to speak with UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The
prime minister thanked Obama and Biden for taking the position that
Israel had a right to defend itself. The military operation immediately
increased tensions with Egypt, which condemned Israel’s actions and
recalled its ambassador.
source - JPost