Officials say they tried to arrange cease-fire set at 3 am Sunday, but did not win agreement from factions responsible for rocket attacks. At least 11 rockets and mortar shells fired at South overnight and early Sunday morning. Iron Dome intercepts two Grad rockets fired at Ashdod
Ynet
Egyptian officials said on Sunday that efforts to persuade Palestinian factions in Gaza to hold their rocket fire on Israel have failed, after a day of deadly, escalated violencethat continued into Sunday.
The officials said they tried to arrange a cease-fire set at 3 am Sunday, but did not win agreement from factions responsible for the rocket attacks. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the mediation efforts.
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| House damaged in Ashkelon (Video: Roi Idan) |
Earlier, a senior Egyptian official told Reuters that a cease-fire agreement had been reached that was set to begin at 6 am.
At least 11 rockets and mortar shells were fired at southern Israel overnight and early Sunday morning. Most of the projectiles landed in open territory while the Iron Dome system intercepted two Grad rockets fired at Ashdod.
Smoke from rocket near rainbow around Gan Yavneh, Sunday (Photo: Yogev Shmuelevitch)
On Saturday, at least 27 rockets were fired at the south. Moshe Ami, 56, a father of four from Ashkelon was killed by a rocket that hit the southern city.
Beersheba residents woke up at 3:30 am Sunday as an alarm sounded throughout the city followed by sounds of explosions. Two rockets landed in open territory outside the city. Around 4:30 am, a rocket exploded in an open field north of Ashkelon.
Wounded arrive at Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot (Photo: Ofer Amram)
Around 6 am, two more rockets were fired at Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council while another landed in the region of Lehavim and Rahat.
Two operatives belonging to the Al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s military wing, were killed overnight in IDF strikes on the Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources reported that Hamas training camps and facilities were bombed as well. Nine Islamic Jihad terrorists were killed by the IDF since Saturday.
| Rocket cell prepares for launch |
Some 200,000 children stayed home from school on Sunday due the tense security situation. Schools were closed in towns within 40 km of the Gaza Strip, including Beersheba, Ashkelon and Kiryat Malachi. Ben Gurion University did not launch the academic year.
Schools in Sderot, and the Sha’ar Hanegev and Eshkol regional councils remained open.
