One Person Badly Wounded in Rocket Barrage in Gaza Region

Red Alert sirens sounded throughout southern Israel Monday afternoon, as Hamas terrorists launched a barrage of rockets at communities in the Gaza border area. Reports said that one of the missiles fell on a bus in the Eshkol Regional Council area. Four Israelis have been reported injured in the barrage, including one man who was seriously wounded when a mortar shell struck a bus, medics said.

The missile strike occurred in an agricultural area. It is not clear if there was anyone on the bus, Kan News reported.

Another rocket from Gaza hit a home in the southern city of Netivot, Hadashot News reported. No one was injured in the incident.

In another incident in Sderot, three people were lightly injured from a rocket strike. According to Magen David Adom, the three appear to have been hit by pieces of glass when the projectile exploded near them.

The victims were taken to Ashkelon’s Barzilai Hospital for further treatment.

Police sappers have been deployed to Sderot, Ofakim and several other open areas near Gaza.

Dozens of rocket sirens continue to wail throughout Israeli communities near the Gaza border. Close to 100 projectiles, ranging from mortar shells to medium-range rockets, were fired from Gaza. A number of launches were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system.

Sirens were heard in the Judean Desert and Dead Sea areas, and as far as the Ein Gedi region. This is the first time in decades that sirens were used in Ein Gedi.

IDF fighter jets have starting striking terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip, in response to the barrage.

Hamas’s armed wing said in a statement Monday that “in response to yesterday’s crime, the joint command of Palestinian factions announce the beginning of bombardment of the enemy’s settlements with scores of rockets.”

A joint statement by terror factions in Gaza says that they will increase the depth and extent of rocket fire to Israel if Israel responds to rocket fire.