Israelin Presidentti Reuben Rivlin vannonut virkavalan 23 heinäkuuta. 2014

Rivlin plunges headfirst into presidential duties

By GREER FAY CASHMAN

07/25/2014 17:09

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The president visits bereaved families of soldiers who fell in Gaza on his first day in new role.

Rivlin sworn in as president, July 23. Photo: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST

President Reuven Rivlin did not give himself time to adjust to his new role, but instantly plunged into presidential duties taking over where his predecessor President Shimon Peres left off.

During his last days in office, Peres made a point of visiting bereaved families of soldiers who fell in battle in Gaza, and Rivlin began doing the same on Friday morning following his inauguration on Thursday night.

Rivlin who at the outset of his inauguration address had sent wishes for a speedy recovery to the wounded and had identified with the grief of families and friends of those who lost their lives in defense of the nation, made it clear to Israel’s enemies that they had not broken Israel’s spirit. “By gathering here, today, we are declaring our determination to continue to defend the operation of our democratic institutions and the character of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, even in a period of emergency, war and terrorism,” he declared.

Rivlin traveled north from his home in Jerusalem to the family of  2nd Lt. Bar Rahav in Ramat Yishai.  From there he continued to the family of St.Sgt.Oren Simcha Noach in Hoshaya, then to  Sde Atzmon to the family of  St. Sgt.Oz Mendelovich and lastly for the day to Nahariya to the family of Sgt. Adar Barsano.

Rivlin is a much more emotionally expressive person than Peres and more visibly sensitive. Dealing with so much grief in such a short time was a massive toll on him.

It was not easy he said at the Rahav home to begin his new role going from place to place to offer his condolences, but, he added, “everything in Israel starts with difficulty.  Nothing comes easily.  This is the reality of the neighborhood in which Israel exists”.

Rivlin said after visiting the families that he could see the pain and the mourning that etched their faces and that he could understand their frustrations.  The son of every family is precious, he said, but to his parents he is the most outstanding soldier of all.

Nonetheless said Rivlin, all the families understood that their son had fallen on the altar of national security, because in the eyes of the enemy Israel is still not something that can be taken for granted., and for this Israel pays a heavy price.

Not surprisingly, according to people close to Peres, the ninth president kept working till almost the last minute in office, spending much of Thursday morning on his farewell address, attending a military briefing, meeting with various officials and receiving visitors who wanted to personally thank him for his service to the state.

He also spent time sending post cards to the thirteen agents in his security detail, who had received emergency call up notices from the army and were in Gaza..

He wrote to them saying that he was proud of them for the dedicated way in which they had protected him over the past seven years, and said that now they had been called not to protect him alone, but to defend the state.  All the members of his personal security detail are combat officers of elite units in the Israel Defense Forces.

Rivlin’s director general Harel Tubi who is taking over from Peres’s director general Efrat Duvdevani, was also called into reserve duty.

Peres assembled those who had not been called up to thank them personally for having taken such devoted care for his safety, and said that they had looked after him so well that he felt as if they were his extended family.

To those who were about to embark on reserve duty Peres told them that they had an important mission to carry out.

In a farewell letter that Peres received from Raz Tzur, the head of his security team, Tzur wrote that on the Saturday night prior to Operation Preventive Edge, he had received a phone call at 2 a.m. from the security guard assigned to the president’s living quarters, saying that all the lights in the president’s apartment were on and that Peres was  very tense and pacing up and down, unable to sleep.

It was only a few hours later that Tzur understood the cause of the president’s disquiet.  Tzur had received the phone call just as the IAF launched its air strike on Gaza. Peres had understood that during the night many soldiers were in danger of being injured or even killed, and this was the cause of his unrest. “On that day I understood the meaning of a true leader” wrote Tzur.
JP

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MIVZA ZUQ IITON (or EITAN) Operation Protective Edge 8.7. - 19.7. 2014 from JPOST On Line

JPOST:  Follow all the latest updates on Israel's efforts to extinguish rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

• Saturday, July 19

10:07 a.m. Air raid sirens sounded in Ashdod, warning of possible rocket attacks.

9:45 a.m. Channel 2's live footage filmed from outside the Gaza Strip shows isolated billows of smoke streaming out of from apparent explosions in Gaza.

7:56 a.m. The IDF confirmed that two Israeli soldiers were lightly injured and one was severely injured overnight between Friday and Saturday in a confrontation with terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip.

6:34 a.m. Ashkelon Coast Regional Council hears rocket sirens early Saturday morning.

3:05 a.m. Iron Dome intercepts four rockets over Ashdod. One falls within the city, but causes no injuries. 

3:00 a.m. The Palestinian Ma'an News Agency reports casualties in northern Gaza, in Khan Younis as Israeli air strikes reportedly kill seven Palestinians, two others in other northern districts. In an additional report, the Palestinian wire service said the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement bombed an Israeli tank in northern Gaza Strip.

According to the agency, the current death toll in Gaza stands at 307, with 2,250 wounded Palestinians.
Palestinian sources say that since Thursday, 65 Gazans were killed, including at least 15 children under 18.

2:56 a.m. Rocket alerts in Ashdod pierce two hours of quiet on the Israeli side.

1:30 a.m. "We are aware of the inability of the UN Security Council, but despite their incapability, we are working with our brothers at the Turkish Foreign Ministry to carry out the current crisis to the UN Security Council," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says in Turkey. The Palestinian president added that Turkey and the Palestinian Authority were working together on ways of taking this matter to UN General Assembly."

1:25 a.m. IDF spokesperson confirms three Israeli soldiers were injured in northern Gaza by gun fire.

12:32 a.m. Code Red sirens go off in Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.

• Friday, July 18

11:50 p.m. The foreign ministry warns Israeli nationals not to visit Turkey due to the current political climate regarding Israel's offensive in Gaza. The ministry's official Facebook page said non-vital visits to the country should be avoided and safety precautions must be taken.

11:50 p.m. Young Arabs clash with police in east Jerusalem, throw rocks and Molotov cocktails at police forces in Isawiya, Shuafat, A-Tur and Kalandia. Three youths get arrested.

11:46 p.m. Medical sources in Gaza report four civilian deaths near Khan Younis, in southern Gaza; and the death of a 20-year-old in Rafah in the last hour. In Rafah, three members of the same family were killed and three others wounded following air strikes, according to the Palestinian news agency, Ma'an. 

11:47 p.m. Air raid sirens are heard in southern Israel, in Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

11:40 p.m. Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour says Security Council must uphold the law to end crimes, violations against the Palestinians and ensure their protection. "Should our peaceful, diplomatic and political efforts in this regard fail, we will have no recourse but to turn to the judicial bodies of the United Nations and the international system."

11:35 p.m. UN political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman says at UN Security Council that Israel "has legitimate security concerns, and we condemn the indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza into Israel that ended yesterday's temporary ceasefire. But we are alarmed by Israel's heavy response"

9:47 p.m.  Rocket sirens sound in Ashkelon and surrounding communities.

9:30 p.m.  Five Palestinian rockets intercepted over greater Tel Aviv area.

8:08 p.m.  In the less than 24 hours since the IDF launched its ground incursion into the Gaza Strip, 217 terror targets have been hit while at least 20 tunnels have been uncovered, according to Channel 2.

The television channel also reported that 65,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli operation. The network reported that at least 33 Palestinians have been killed in the last day.

7:27 p.m.  The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to convene on Friday evening to discuss the escalating violence in the Gaza Strip, according to Channel 2.

The session was called at the request of Turkey and Arab governments.

6:35 p.m.  The Israeli military has unearthed at least 30 underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip which Israel says are used by Hamas to transport rockets and weapons, Channel 2 is reporting on Friday.

6:06 p.m.  Sirens sound in Ashdod and Ashkelon.

6:05 p.m.  The Iron Dome anti-rocket system successfully shot down four Palestinian rockets over Tel Aviv moments ago. Sirens were heard moments before the interceptions.

5:20 p.m.  The Iron Dome intercepted a Palestinian rocket over the western Negev town of Netivot. Moments earlier, sirens were heard in frontier communities near the Gaza border.

3:58 p.m.  Code Red sirens activated in towns near Gaza border, among them Reim, Kfar Maimon, Bari, and Havat Izram.

3:31 p.m.  MK Ahmed Tibi (Ra’am – Ta’al) denounced the IDF ground incursion into Gaza on Friday “which would lead to more bloodshed and in which most of the victims in Gaza are civilians, including children.”

“[Killing] children is a war crime,” Tibi said. “Israel tried everything except end the occupation, which is the right solution, the optimal solution. Ra’am – Ta’al calls on Israel to lift the siege on Gaza, and it calls on both sides to leave civilians outside of the cycle of violence.”

2:31 p.m. Iron Dome intercepts two rockets over Beersheba.

2:17 p.m. Rocket sirens went off in Beersheba and the surrounding areas in the country's South, Iron Dome was activated. No

1:51 p.m. Palestinian health officials say 27 Palestinians, including a baby, two children and a 70-year-old woman have been killed since the ground invasion began.

1:47 p.m. The IDF says that since the ground invasion of Gaza began on Thursday evening, they have killed 17 terrorists and arrested 13 others.

They also said that they targeted 21 rocket launchers and 4 tunnels.

1:00 p.m. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday "Both sides must accept painful compromises but we stand by the side of Israel when it comes to self-defense," she said at a news conference in Berlin."

Merkel said that there was a "new quality" to weapons used by the Palestinian territory's dominant Islamist Hamas group against Israel and added that countries that come under attack must be allowed to defend themselves.

12:49 p.m. Rocket siren sounded in Ashkelon.

12:36 p.m. Rocket siren sounds in Beersheva and Ofakim.

11:52 a.m. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon says that the ground invasion of Gaza will continue until all of its objectives have been reached.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting on Friday, Ya'alon said that Hamas is paying a heavy price. He also praised the IDF soldiers on the ground in Gaza.

11:46 a.m. Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Friday during a cabinet meeting that he may be forced to widen the current ground operation in Gaza and has ordered troops to be ready for the next phase.

He also added that Hamas left Israel no choice but to invade on the ground because it is the only way tunnels are reachable.

11:07 a.m. Iron Dome intercepts two rockets over Ashkelon.

10:55 a.m. Rocket siren sounded in Ashkelon.

10:15 a.m. Iron Dome intercepted a barrage of rockets over Ashdod and several more landed in open territories. Home Front Command restricted children's activities in Ashkelon to bomb shelters and Tel Aviv restricted gatherings to under 1,000 participants over the weekend.

10:00 a.m. IDF releases name of IDF soldier killed in Gaza: Twenty-year-old Sergeant Eitan Barak from Herzliya.

8:43 a.m. Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On said on Friday that it was unfortunate that Prime Minister Netanyahu let Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman convince him of the need for a ground invasion in Gaza, one that "was costing the blood of IDF soldiers and innocent Palestinians."

"We must not allow the brutal terrorism of Hamas to dictate what will happen, and so despite refusal of Hamas, Israel must continue efforts to reach a cease-fire, which only prevents bloodshed and suffering growing on both sides," she said.

8:25 a.m. Red Alert sirens went off in Ashdod and the surrounding area.

8:07 a.m. Red Alert sounded in Beersheba.

7:54 a.m. Since last night, 50 rockets were fired from Gaza. 25 hit Israel while 20 were intercepted by Iron Dome.

7:48 a.m. Following a Code Red siren, two rockets landed in the Eshkol Regional Council. The rockets caused light damage to a factory but caused no injuries.

7:34 a.m. An IDF soldier was killed Friday morning in Gaza, the IDF confirmed.

6:55 a.m. Two IDF soldiers suffered light injuries overnight in Gaza.

103 terror sites were targeted by the IAF and ground forces between 8 p.m. Thursday night and this morning.

6:37 a.m. Several Code Red sirens were heard in communities near the Gaza border in the last 10 minutes.

5:27 a.m. The United States reaffirmed its stance that Israel has a right to defend itself but called on its close ally to restrict itself to a "precise operation" as the Jewish state launched a ground campaign in Gaza. The State Department said that during a phone call with Secretary of State John Kerry, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "explained his decision to launch an operation to target the threat of further terrorist infiltration through tunnels into Israel."
"The secretary reaffirmed our strong support for Israel's right to defend itself against terrorist threats emanating from tunnels into Israel and expressed our view that this should be a precise operation to target tunnels, as described in a statement from the Israeli Defense Forces," the department said in a statement released late on Thursday.
It said Kerry emphasized during the call the need to "avoid further escalation and to restore the 2012 cease-fire as soon as possible."

4:56 a.m. Palestinian media now puts the death count since the ground offensive began Thursday night at five, including an infant and an elderly person.

4:38 a.m. After nearly two hours of silence in Israel, a Code Red rocket alert siren sounds in Zikim near the Gaza border.

2:47 a.m. Rocket sirens sound in Ashkelon.

2:46 a.m. According to Palestinian reports, one person was killed in Rafiah and two in Beit Hanoun overnight between Thursday and Friday.

A Hamas militant was injured in an earlier attack on Khan Younis.

Reuters quoted Gazan health officials as saying that 235 Palestinians had been killed since the start of Operation Protective Edge on July 8.

Electrical power has been cut in at least 80 percent of Gaza.

1:46 a.m. Rocket sirens sound in Ashdod, Gan Yavne and the surrounding areas. Three rockets were intercepted over Ashdod.

1:42 a.m. The IAF targeted 11 terror sites in Gaza in the last hour.

12:57 a.m. Rocket sirens heard in Beersheba, Ashkelon, Ofakim. Five rockets were intercepted over Ofakim.

12:32 a.m. The IDF authorizes the calling up of an additional 18,000 reserve soldiers.

Thursday, July 17    

11:47 p.m. Two rockets intercepted in the Golan Heights.

11:29 p.m. Hamas released a statement saying Israel's ground offensive of Gaza is "foolish" and would have "dreadful consequences." 

"The occupation will pay dearly for this wild and dangerous step," the statement read.

Hamas said in the statement that it would continue to reject any initiative for a ceasefire as long as its conditions are not met.  

10:59 p.m. Egypt put the blame on Hamas for IDF's ground operation. Sameh Shoukri, the Egyptian foreign minister, said "Had Hamas accepted the Egyptian proposal, it could have saved the lives of at least 40 Palestinians."

10:45 p.m. The IDF confirmed the ground operation and said that the operation will involve infantry, engineering corps, and tank units combined with air force and naval support and intelligence.

10:44 p.m. Prime minister's office said the purpose of the operation is to destroy the Gazan terror tunnels leading to Israel.

10:30 p.m. IDF began ground operation in the Gaza Strip. Hamas had bombarded Israel with over 100 missiles since the humanitarian truce ended only seven hours earlier.

10:26 p.m. Rocket sirens go off in southern Israel, in Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

10:10 p.m. A number of rocket interceptions heard above Tel Aviv and the surrounding area.

10:00 p.m. Rocket sirens heard in Tel Aviv and area.

9:31 p.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens sound in Sderot and the Sha'ar Hanegev and Eshkol regional councils.

9:30 p.m. Hamas has executed four Palestinians on suspicion of “collaboration” with Israel since the beginning of the fighting in the Gaza Strip 10 days ago, the Palestinian daily Al-Quds reported Thursday.

The paper quoted sources in the Gaza Strip as saying that another 13 Palestinians have been arrested by Hamas on suspicion of providing Israel with information about militiamen and homes of civilians.

9:10 p.m. The security cabinet is set to meet on Friday at 11:00 a.m. at military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

9:05 p.m. Two rockets land in Eshkol, one fell within a community. No injuries or damage reported.

8:49 p.m. The military wing of Hamas took responsibility for launching a drone into Israeli airspace.

8:31 p.m. A drone was detected in Israeli airspace, over the Ashkelon area. The IAF fired a patriot surface-to-air missile at the aircraft, shooting it down.

8:29 p.m. As of 3:00 p.m. 30 targets have been targeted across Gaza, including a weapons manufacturing site, 10 concealed rocket launchers and 11 tunnels, the IDF said Thursday.  

8:15 p.m. Rocket fired at Ashkelon Coast Regional Council hits home in community, sparking fire.

8:05 p.m. Rocket alerts heard in Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ashkelon Coast, Kiryat Malachi. A rocket was intercepted over Ashdod.

7:50 p.m. The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the Northern District Police arrested three residents of Shefar'Am, a small Arab town located in the Galilee, suspected of throwing Molotov cocktails at a police vehicle on July 13th. The report was cleared for publication on Thursday evening.

In their questioning with security officials, the three admitted to participating in violent protests against IAF attacks in Gaza. Two of the suspects are minors.

7:50 p.m. As a result of a successful rocket interception in the Gedera area, sappers from the Shfela district were handling a piece of shrapnel that posed a danger to the public. 

7:49 p.m. Rocket hits house in Netivot, causing damage to the structure. No injuries were reported. Police are investigating the incident.

7:30 p.m. Sirens begin in Netivot. Two rockets are intercepted in Sdot Negev as sirens alert residents of regional council of incoming rockets.

7:21 p.m. Rocket alerts sound in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council.

7:03 p.m. In last several hours, 13 rockets were launched at Ashkelon; six were intercepted, one fell in an open area. Rockets cause fire within city. A rocket hit Gan Yavne, causing a fire. Police are investigating the scenes.

7:02 p.m. Sirens sound in Kiryat Gat.

6:59 p.m. An IDF soldier was lightly injured by a mortar fired from Gaza.

6:55 p.m. Six rockets were intercepted over the Shfela region.

6:46 p.m. Rocket alerts sound in Ashdod, Ashkelon, Rehovot, Ness Ziona.

6:45 p.m. The Palestinian Ma'an News Agency reported that the a four-year-old child was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis. The report also stated that another three children in southern Gaza were killed in the past two hours.

6:26 p.m. Rocket sirens go on in Eshkol Regional Council.

6:22 p.m. Air raid sirens sound in Ashdod and Be'er Tuvia. Moments ago, Three rockets landed in the Eshkol Regional Council outside of communities. At least eight additional rockets exploded in open areas, communities in region.  

6:00 p.m. Sirens warning of rockets sound in central Israel, in Gush Dan and Shfela regions. Audible explosions heard in greater Tel Aviv area.

5:59 p.m. Three rockets were shot down over the greater Tel Aviv area. Rockets were aimed at Ben Gurion International Airport and Netanya, Rosh Ha'ayin, Kfar Saba, Beit Dagan and Kfar Shmeryahu. Rocket alert sirens were sounded across the greater Tel Aviv area and the Sharon Region.

5:56 p.m. Iron Dome intercepts rocket over Sdot Negev communities after sirens blare in regional council.

5:53 p.m. Rocket alerts heard in Netivot, and continue in Ashkelon Coast Regional Council as police arrive at scene where rocket landed minutes ago in house.

5:46 p.m. Rocket falls in Ashkelon Coast Regional Council, hits home, causing property damage but no injuries.

5:38 p.m. Since the ceasefire ended, 40 rockets fired into Israel since ceasefire ended, only three of which were intercepted.

5:36 p.m. A short while ago, a rocket fell inside a community in Eshkol, sparking a fire; firefighting units are headed to scene.

5:29 p.m. Alerts continue to sound in Eshkol, Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Councils.

5:15 p.m. Rocket alerts sounded in Eshkol and Sha'ar Hanegev, and Ashkelon Coast Regional Councils.

5:12 p.m. Rocket alert blares in Ashkelon as Iron Dome intercepts two rockets over city, and another lands in open area.

5:09 p.m. The Palestinian Ma'an News Agency reports Israeli air raids in Gaza, in Khan Younis, Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya.

5:01 p.m. Seven rockets fell in Eshkol Regional Council in recent hour. Two reportedly land within communities, as rocket attacks in southern Israel continue.
 
4:57 p.m. Rocket alert sirens sounded in Ashkelon and the Ashkelon Caost Council.

4:52 p.m. Rocket alert siren sounds in the Eshkol Regional Council area.

4:40 p.m. Police closed a number of major roads in southern Israel on Thursday afternoon due to an unspecified security incident in the area. Eastbound Highway 25 lanes around Beersheba were closed, Highway 241 from the entrance of Ofakim northwards was closed, and highway 40 in the Dimona area was closed from the Mashabim junction eastwards. 

4:38 p.m. A rocket was intercepted over the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. An earlier rocket that fell in Sha'ar Hanegev started a brush fire.

4:38 p.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens sound in Sderot and the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported in the attack.

4:30 p.m. Hamas members who tried to infiltrate Kibbutz Sufa were planning to murder everyone at the kibbutz, President Shimon Peres says.

4:16 p.m. Defense Ministry recognizes the murdered east Jerusalem teenager, Muhammad Abu Khadir, as a victim of hostile action, following an indictment served against suspects in his murder.  

4:10 p.m. Rocket alert sirens sound in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

4:04 p.m.  Two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel landed in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council on Thursday. No injuries were reported in the attack.

3:48 p.m. Code Red sirens sound in Sderot and Ashkelon Coast Council.

3:43 p.m. Rocket falls in Beersheba. No injuries or damage reported.

3:40 p.m.  Two rockets land in the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported in the attacks.

3:19 p.m. Rocket alert sirens sound in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council and the Eshkol Regional Council.

2:59 p.m. Rocket alert sirens sounded in Ashkelon and the Ashkelon Coast Council on Thursday afternoon, just as the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. UN humanitarian cease-fire was ending. A rocket was later discovered in Ashkelon  There were no immediate reports of injury in the attacks.

2:55 p.m. An Israeli official said Israeli senior representatives at talks in Cairo had accepted an Egyptian proposal for a comprehensive Gaza cease-fire starting on Friday, but Israel's leaders still had to approve the deal.

The official, who earlier said that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's decision-making security cabinet had agreed to the truce, later told Reuters the forum had not yet voted and was still examining its details. In Gaza, there was no immediate comment from Hamas or other Palestinian groups on a permanent cease-fire.

2:19 p.m.  An IDF soldier was lightly injured during an operational activity near southern Gaza. The IDF responded with mortar fire.

1:50 p.m. The BBC reports that Israel and Hamas have agreed to an Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire that would put an end to the ten-day offensive in the Gaza Strip. The cease-fire reportedly is set to go into effect on Friday at 6 a.m., but neither Israel nor Hamas has confirmed that an agreement has been reached.

12:10 p.m. Three rockets fired from the Gaza Strip landed in the Eshkol Regional Council  despite the UN humanitarian cease-fire. No injuries or damage were reported in the attack.

12:00 p.m.  Rocket alert sirens sounds in the Eshkol Regional Council despite the UN humanitarian cease-fire.

11:57 a.m. Damages from Gaza hostilities to Israeli businesses have reached NIS 345 million through eight days of Operation Protective Edge, the Israel Manufacturers Association said.

10:00 a.m. Five-hour humanitarian cease-fire goes into effect.

9:54 a.m. Code Red siren sounds in the Eshkol Regional Council.

9:40 a.m. Communities in the Eshkol Regional Council area which had been on lockdown in the wake of the attempted terrorist tunnel infiltration from Gaza on Thursday morning were given the all clear to resume routine operations.

9:30 a.m. Rocket siren sounded in Beersheba.

9:06 a.m. The IDF said the Iron Dome defense system intercepted one rocket over Petah Tikva while another fired in the latest barrage from Gaza landed in the area.

8:46 a.m.  Rocket sirens sound in Petah Tikva. Explosions heard above central Israel.

8:45 a.m.  Rocket sirens heard in major cities across central Israel, including Bnei Brak, Kiryat Ono, Kfar Sava, and Ra'anana. Minutes earlier, sirens sound in the Ashkelon region as well.

8:37 a.m.  Israeli troops foiled an attempt by Hamas terrorists to infiltrate a kibbutz near the Gaza frontier through an underground tunnel before dawn on Thursday, the army announced.

Soldiers manning the border area identified 13 terrorists who crossed into Israeli territory near Kibbutz Sufa through a tunnel that was dug in the southern Gaza Strip.

The army said that the troops "neutralized the threat." There was no word as to the number of casualties in the gunfire, though Israeli troops suffered no injuries.

The army said it held Hamas responsible for the attempted attack.

8:00 a.m. Four rockets fired from the Gaza Strip toward Beersheba exploded in open territory.

7:54 a.m. The IDF announces it targeted the house of Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya in overnight strikes in Gaza.

7:41 a.m. Rocket siren sounds in Beersheba.

3:40 a.m. European Union leaders called on Israelis and Palestinians to end violence and said they welcomed efforts, particularly from Egypt, to broker a cease-fire.

2:15 a.m. Iron Dome intercepts two rockets. One was intercepted over Kiryat Malachi and the other was shot down over Kiryat Gat.

2:10 a.m. Code Red rocket alert siren sounds in the Beit Shemesh area.

2:05 a.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens sound in Kiryat Malachi and in Kiryat Gat.

2:05 a.m. Two rockets fell in the Eshkol and Ashkelon Coast regional councils. The rockets fell in open areas the IDF confirmed. 

1:35 a.m.  Code Red rocket alert siren sounds in Eshkol Regional Council.

1:26 a.m.  The United States is committed to a diplomatic effort that will "restore the cease-fire" between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, US President Barack Obama said from the White House, in his first statement on the developing crisis.

Obama praised the Israeli government for initially accepting a cease-fire brokered by Egypt. The US president affirmed that Israel had a right to defend itself.

1:05 a.m.  Hamas agreed to a five hour pause in hostilities to allow for relief aid into Gaza.

The UN  proposal for a five-hour unilateral humanitarian pause in the fighting was accepted by Israel earlier on Wednesday.

The pause will begin at 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday, July 16

9:54 p.m.  The IDF is investigating the incident in order to understand whether it is linked to an air force or navy strike, or whether it is result of a failed Palestinian rocket attack.

9:45 p.m.  Israel has reportedly agreed to a six-hour pause in its offensive in the Gaza Strip so as to allow the United Nations to supply humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population.

9:37 p.m.  Rocket sirens sound in Ashdod and surrounding suburbs.

9:22 p.m.  Rocket sirens were set off in Ashdod and the surrounding communities, including Kiryat Malachi, Gan Yavne, and Be'er Tuvia.

8:44 p.m.  The United Nations has appealed to Israel to halt its military campaign for six hours so as to allow its aid workers to bring humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip, Channel 2 reported on Wednesday.

Israeli officials are leaning toward accepting the UN's request, according to the report.

8:20 p.m.  Palestinians in Gaza launched four rockets toward Ashkelon and Ashdod moments ago, according to Channel 2.

Two of the rockets were intercepted by Iron Dome, while the other two are believed to have landed in open fields.

7:20 p.m.  IAF struck 10 terrorists who were enaged in rocket fire in recent hours.

6:36 p.m. Code Red Siren alerts in Ashkelon and Gaza frontier towns. Channel 2 reports one interception by Iron Dome.

6:27 p.m. Cabinet allows 8,000 additional reservists to be called up, bringing the total number to 56,000 once the additional forces are called up.

5:52 p.m. Gaza health officials say four children were killed on a Gaza beach from IDF navy shelling.

5:39 p.m. Iron Dome intercepts two rockets over Sdot HaNegev Regional council.

4:37 p.m. The Israeli Airforce has targeted 60 terror sites in Gaza since Wednesday morning, the IDF Spokespersons office said.

Among the targets are underground tunnels, rocket launching sites, and Hamas infrastructure and training sites.

4:18 p.m. Code Red Sirens sound in Negev communities surrounding Be'ersheva.

4:09 p.m. Four rockets land in the Eshkol Regional Council. No damages or injuries reported.

4:00 p.m. Code Red Siren alerts in Gaza frontier towns and Ashkelon.

3:58 p.m. Code Red Siren rings in Eshkol Regional council

3:46 p.m. Iron Dome intercepts 5 rockets over Ashkelon.

3:19 p.m. Code Red siren sounds in Ashkelon and surrounding region.

3:08 p.m. Hamas had fired 61 rockets at Israel on Wednesday as of 3 p.m., according to the IDF. The Iron Dome intercepted 23 of the projectiles. While 37 of them landed in Israeli territory.

3:02 p.m. 2 rockets fell on open areas of Sdot HaNegev and another fell in an oped area of Sha'ar HaNegev.

2:45 p.m. Two more rockets fell in open territories of the Eshkol Regional Council.

2:28 p.m. One rocket fell in the yard outside of a home in Ashkelon in the last barrage toward that area. There were no injuries reported. Police were on scene.

Three rockets were intercepted over the city by Iron Dome. One other fell in an open area.

2:09 p.m. Be'ersheva, four rockets in open areas, six intercepted.

2:01 p.m. Code Red sirens sound in Ashkelon and the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

1:49 p.m. Four rockets were fired at Kiryat Gat, two of which were shot down by the Iron Dome. Two additional rockets landed in open territory. No injuries or damage were reported in the attack.

1:40 p.m.  Code Red rocket alert sirens sound in Dimona, Arad and Yeruham. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the attacks.

1:36 p.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens sound in Kiryat Gat, the Sha'ar Hanegev regional Council and the Yoav Regional Council in the northern Negev. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the attacks.

1:20 p.m. Speaking in Ashkelon on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman reiterated his stance that only a full ground incursion in Gaza would restore peace to Israel and quiet to it's citizens in the South.

12:37 p.m. A rocket hit a kibbutz in Sdot HaNegev, causing damage to the community cafeteria.

12:20 p.m. 8 rockets were fired at Ofekim. Iron Dome intercepted one of the rockets while the rest landed in open territory.

12:16 p.m. Code Red sirens went off in Sha'ar HaNegev and the Beersheba area.

11:56 a.m. A Code Red was sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council and five rockets landed in open spaces.

11:46 a.m.  The Eshkol Regional Council Fire Department was called after rocket debris damaged several vehicles and caused some to leak gasoline. 2 fire teams were rushed to the scene where at least 12 vehicles were damaged.

10:40 a.m.  Code Red heard in Sha'ar HaNegev.

10:19 a.m. Announcement made that the funeral of Dror Chanin, 37, will take place at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Chanin was killed by Hamas mortar shells while he delivered donations to soldiers at Erez crossing near Gaza.

10:13 a.m. Code Red sirens sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council. 9 rockets exploded in open territories.

10:00 a.m. Hamas has fired 1,248 rockets at Israel since July 8 and the subsequent launching of Operation Protective Edge.

9:26 a.m. Moments ago a Code Red rocket alert siren sounded in Tel Aviv, and much of the Gush Dan and Sharon regions. At least four rockets were intercepted by Iron Dome over Tel Aviv. One rocket was also intercepted over Ashdod.

9:00 a.m. Following warning by the IDF to northern Gaza residents to evacuate their homes by 8:00 a.m. today or risk their lives in oncoming IAF strikes. According to Israeli media, the IAF has granted a 'grace' period until 9:00 a.m. for Gazans to leave their homes.

8:51 a.m. One rocket fell between two houses in a community in Be'er Tuvia Regional Council in the last rocket barrage. One woman suffered light wounds from shrapnel and was taken to hospital for treatment.

8:45 a.m. A Gazan Health Ministry official says the Palestinian death toll has reached 200.

8:02 a.m. Code Red sirens sound in Be'er Tuvia, Kiryat Malachi and surrounding areas. One rocket was intercepted by Iron Dome over Kiryat Malachi. Four others fell in open areas.

7:58 a.m. Eight rockets were fired towards Ashkelon moments ago. Six were intercepted, and two fell in open areas.

7:41 a.m. Code Red sirens sounded in Ashkelon. Iron Dome makes four interceptions.

7:38 a.m. Four rockets fired from Gaza landed outside a community in the Eshkol Regional Council. 

7:25 a.m. The Code Red rocket siren sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council.

7:20 a.m. The IDF confirms 25 terror targets were struck in the Gaza Strip overnight.

4:41 a.m. Code Red siren sounds in the Eshkol Regional Council.

4:02 a.m. Palestinians reported that Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least three in the early hours of Wednesday and destroyed the house of top Hamas political leader Mahmoud Zahar - who is believed to be in hiding elsewhere.

12:34 a.m. Palestinians were reporting that an Israeli air strike destroyed the house belonging to Hamas legislator Ismail al-Ashkar a short wile ago.

12: 15 a.m. The Iron Dome anti-rocket system intercepts a rocket over Ashkelon.

12:12 a.m.  Code Red siren sounds in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

12:00 a.m. Hamas' Interior Ministry urged residents of Gaza not to heed to the IDF calls to leave their homes, saying the warning were part of Israel's "psychological war." 

• Tuesday, July 15 

11:56 p.m. Dror Hanin, 37, from Beit Aryeh was named late Tuesday night as the Israeli man who was killed after being struck by shrapnel from a mortar shell near the Erez Crossing earlier in the day.

11:55 p.m. The IDF was sending messages to residents of the northern Gaza Strip late on Tuesday, advising them to evacuate their homes as part of Israeli efforts to avoid causing harm to civilians during strikes.

10:55 p.m. Code Red sirens sounded in Hof Ashkelon, Sha'ar HaNegev and Kiryat Gat. Channel 2 reported a successful interception over Kiryat Gat.

10:35 p.m. A rocket fell around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday night in the Eshkol Regional Council. The rocket fell in open territory and caused no damages or injuries.

9:50 p.m. Two rockets fired from Gaza exploded in the Hebron area.

9:20 p.m. Code Red rocket sirens sounded in Beit Shemesh and the Jerusalem area as well as in Jericho in the West Bank. Iron Dome intercepted one of the rockets. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

9:09 p.m.  Israel demonstrated restraint for hours after Egypt's proposed ceasefire was set to take effect, the United States said on Tuesday, as Israel and Hamas in Gaza resumed attacks on one another this afternoon.

​"The Israelis welcomed the ceasefire, the cabinet supported it and as Hamas continued to fire rockets, Israel declined to respond for several hours," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington on Tuesday.

As was true yesterday, and the day before, Washington continues to believe that Israel has the right to defend itself, which includes "responding to indiscriminate attacks into their country on civilians," she added.

8:59 p.m. Code Red sirens went off in and around Ashdod, Ashkelon and Beir Tuvia as well as several other communities in the South.

8:05 p.m. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the country shortly following a mortar and rocket barrage launched at Israel from Gaza on Tuesday afternoon that killed an Israeli civilian near Gaza.

"We made the decision to approve a cease fire proposed by Egypt," said the PM, "If Hamas and Islamic Jihad refuse to accept [a ceasefire] we will respond with great force."

"That is how we responded this afternoon hitting a great number of targets."

"If there is to be no ceasefire, our answer is fire," said Netanyahu.

7:10 p.m. A young Israeli man (37) was killed on Tuesday by mortar shell fire when Hamas and the Islamic Jihad unleashed a barrage of rocket fire and mortar shells at southern Israel and the greater Tel Aviv area. A second man (44) was wounded by shrapnel.

Police forces were called to the scene and Magen David Adom medical personnel evacuated the men from the Erez checkpoint near Gaza and admitted them to Barzilai where one was declared dead. The second man was treated for shrapnel wounds.

A report by Channel 2 stated that the men were volunteers visiting soldiers near Gaza to deliver food donations.

7:05 p.m. Two rockets fall in open areas in Beersheba. 

7:05 p.m. Two rockets fall in Ashkelon.

7:00 p.m. Code Red sirens were sounded in Tel Aviv as three rockets were intercepted over the greater Tel Aviv area. Iron Dome also successfully intercepted a rocket over Ashkelon.

Around the same time as the rocket interceptions over Tel Aviv, rocket sirens sounded in Dimona and Yerucham.

6:37 p.m. Code Red siren in Ashkelon Coast Regional Council

6:27 p.m.  The Iron Dome intercepted two rockets over Netivot, while two additonal rockets fired at the the Negev town fell in open territories. No injuries or damage were reported in the attacks.

6:22 p.m. Two rockets fall in open areas of Beersheba.

6:20 p.m. Code Red rocket siren sounds in Beersheba, and Nevatim.

6:06 p.m. Code Red sirens sound in Ashkelon Coast Council  and Sderot.

5:57 p.m. Code Red sirens sound in Netivot, Sdot Negev Regional Council and Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.

5:56 p.m.  IAF bombs 30 targets in Gaza following Hamas rejection of cease-fire. The targets included 20 underground rocket launchers which included medium-range launchers, tunnels, a facility for storing weapons, and an operations base used by senior Islamic Jihad members.

5:55 p.m. Code Red sirens sound in Eshkol Regional Council

5:52 p.m.  The IDF struck a terrorist in northern Gaza who was in the last stage of preparing a rocket attack on Israel

5:39 p.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens sound in Ashkelon and in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

5:06 p.m. 3 more rockets fell on the Eshkol Regional Council. No damages or injuries were reported.

5:00 p.m. Since 9 a.m. on Tuesday, 76 rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza. 55 fell in Israeli territory, and nine were intercepted.

4:58 p.m.  A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip was shot down by the Iron Dome over Ashkelon. No injuries or damage were reported in the attack.

4:44 p.m. Three additional rockets fell in Eshkol Regional Council. Two of the rockets hit structures in a village. One of the damaged structures was a chicken coop. There were no injuries in the attack. The police say that since around 4:00 p.m., 14 rockets landed in Eshkol.

4:30 p.m. Three rockets exploded in the Eshkol Regional Council. Some minor damages were sustained by an agricultural building.

4:26 p.m. Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said tthat Israel should "go all the way in Gaza," meaning it should reoccupy the territory. Speaking during a Knesset press conference, Liberman said that Operation Protective Edge "should end with the IDF controlling all of Gaza."

4:23 p.m. Code Red sirens sound in Ashkelon and Hof Ashkelon.

4:05 p.m. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are claiming that they have been receiving text messages and pre-recorded phone calls from the IDF that blame Hamas for the renewal of Israeli strikes following Hamas's rejection of the ceasefire. 

4:04 p.m. Three additional rockets fall in the Eshkol Regional Council.

4:01 p.m. Four rockets fall in the Eshkol Regional Council. Three of the rockets fell outside of a village and one fell outside the boundaries of a village.

4:00 p.m. Code Red sirens blare in Eshkol and Ashkelon Coast Regional Councils and the city of Ashkelon.

3:52 p.m. A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip fell in between two residential buildings in Sderot. The buildings sustained some damage, but no injuries were reported in the attack.

3:20 p.m. Rocket fell in between two buildings in Sderot, no injuries were reported but damage was caused to some structures. Police forces at the scene.

3:14 p.m. Rockets land in open areas in Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council; Sdot Negev communities hear sirens, as a rocket falls in open field, not causing damage or injuries.  

2:43 p.m. Ashkelon Coast Regional Council hears rocket sirens.

2:35 p.m. Code Red sirens heard in Eshkol moments ago. Three rockets fell in open areas, no injuries were reported.

2:17 p.m. Two rockets fell outside of a community in Eshkol after sirens were heard in regional council.

2:08 p.m. IDF spokesperson rejects Palestinian reports of an Israeli air strike in Gaza.

2:00 p.m. Sirens heard in Hof Ashkelon.

1:30 p.m. Sirens heard in Rehovot, Rishon Lezion, Ness Ziona and Shfela region. One rocket fell in open area, one intercepted over Rehovot by Iron Dome.

1:20 p.m. Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar asks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convene the government to discuss the ceasefire agreement, in light of "the one-sided attacks by Hamas in recent hours." 

1:16 p.m. Since 9:00 a.m., nearly 35 rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel, according to the IDF. One of these rockets was fired toward Haifa.

1:09 p.m. Sirens continue in Rehovot, Ness Ziona Rishon Lezion, Gedera, Yavne and the surrounding areas. 

1:00 p.m. Rockets that hit Ashkelon earlier cause fire in open field; firefighting units are on the scene.

12:55 p.m. Sirens continue in south, in Sdot Negev and Netivot. Two interceptions by Iron Dome over communities in area, according to the Israel Police.   

12:48 p.m. Code Red siren sounds in Eshkol Regional Council.

12:37 p.m. Hamas takes responsibility for firing towards northern Israel after rocket sirens were heard in area minutes ago.

12:30 p.m. Sirens go off in Binyamina, Zichron Yaakov, Hadera and the Haifa area, warning of incoming rockets launched from Gaza.

Meanwhile in southern Israel, sirens blare across several communities in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, as a rocket explodes near a kibbutz.  

12:21 p.m. Sirens warning of incoming rockets blare in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council and Ashkelon, as Iron Dome intercepts a rocket over city.

Sirens go off in Rehovot, Nes Ziona, Gedera, Yavne, Rishon Letzion sirens as well.

Iron Dome intercepts rocket over Rehovot, others fall in open areas near Gaza. 

12:17 p.m. Two more rockets were now intercepted over Netivot. IDF spokesperson said that in addition, an Israeli soldier was lightly injured by shrapnel of a rocket that hit Sderot.

Three rockets landed inside a community in the Eshkol Regional Council in southern Israel, after sirens went off in area; no injuries reported.

12:12 p.m. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel had accepted the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire with Gaza in order to give a chance to efforts to solve the Hamas rocket and tunnel threat through diplomacy.

Speaking at a press conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Netanyahu said that if Hamas rejects the ceasefire and continues to fire rockets, Israel will intensify the operation in Gaza.

12:06 p.m. Code red rocket alerts blare in Netivot and the Sdot Negev Regional Council.

11:55 a.m. Top official from the Palestinian Islamist group said Hamas was still debating an Egyptian-proposed Gaza truce. "We are still in consultation and there has been no official position made by the (Hamas) movement regarding the Egyptian proposal," Moussa Abu Marzouk, who was in Cairo, said in a Facebook posting.

11:44 a.m. Code Red rocket alert siren heard in Eshkol. Rocket lands in open field outside a community.

11:30 a.m. Rocket alert sirens sound in Beer Tuvia and Ashdod. A rocket exploded in Ashdod in the back yard of a house; no injuries were reported. One rocket hit a warehouse in a kibbutz in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, injuries were not reported. Additional rockets exploded in open fields in the area.

11:25 a.m.  A barrage of rockets was fired into southern Israel from Gaza  setting of Code Red sirens in Kiryat Malachi, Gan Yavne, Ashkelon, and several western Negev communities bordering Gaza.

11:19 a.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens sound in Sderot and in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.

10:36 a.m. Sirens rang out for the second time since this morning's ceasefire agreement accepted by Israel. Code Red in Eshkol Regional Council. One rocket fell outside a town in the Eshkol region in an open area, causing no injuries or damage.

9:57 a.m. Code red rocket alert sirens sound in the Eshkol Regional Council area  less than an hour after Israel agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that was supposed to go into effect at 9 a.m. Police said  that two rockets fell in the Eshkol Regional Council area. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the attacks.

9:05 a.m. The Security Cabinet officially accepts the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, which comes into effect immediately.

9:00 a.m. The IAF attacked 25 targets in Gaza overnight; in the past 24 hours, Israel struck 132 targets, including 53 concealed rocket launching pads, 11 weapons storage facilities. 

8:57 a.m. Summary of Eilat rocket incident: 30 people were taken to Yoseftal Hospital in the city, 7 of whom were lightly wounded. One 53-year-old woman was taken to Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba to get shrapnel removed from her face. The rest of the patients suffered from shock.

8:54 a.m. Code Red siren sounds in Eshkol. One rocket explodes outside of a town in the region. There were no injuries or damage.

8:30 a.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens go off in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. Two rockets intercepted in area by Iron Dome.

8:20 a.m. An additional Iron Dome missile defense battery went into operation Monday night, the Defense Ministry announced Tuesday morning.

7:40 a.m. The IAF attacked the home of the leader of Hamas' military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam, Marwan Issa, according to Palestinian reports.

7:33 a.m. Code Red rocket sirens sound in Eshkol Regional Council. A rocket landed in the Kerem Shalom area. No injuries, damage reported.

7:30 a.m. Reuters reports that rockets launched at Eilat overnight Tuesday were from Egypt, citing Israeli security officials. The officials said the salvo was fired by Islamist militants in the Egyptian Sinai and meant to upstage Cairo's efforts to mediate a truce between Israel and Gaza, according to the report.

7:22 a.m.  Hamas armed wing rejects reported Egyptian ceasefire plan.

6:44 a.m Code Red siren alerts in Hof Ashkelon.

5:02 a.m. President Barack Obama said he was encouraged by Egypt's proposal for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians and sided with Israel against what he called "inexcusable attacks."

2:15 a.m. MDA says three people lightly injured by Eilat rocket and 17 treated for shock.

1:30 a.m. Code Red siren rings in Eilat and surrounding areas.

• Monday, July 14 

11:30 p.m. The security cabinet was slated to convene on Tuesday morning to discuss a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt.

11:20 p.m. Code Red sirens sound in the Sha'ar Henegev Regional Council.

10:58 p.m. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in response to the Egyptian ceasefire proposal that his movement would not accept any truce that excludes the conditions of the Palestinian groups and people.

10:47 p.m. A rocket fired from Lebanon landed on Monday night in an open area near Rosh Hanikra and the border between the two countries.

10:27 p.m.  The Egyptian government on Monday proposed a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip according to which the two sides would end “hostilities” as of 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

9:50 p.m. Reports of a siren sounding in the Golan Heights on Monday night were false, an IDF spokeswoman said, adding that no projectiles had landed in the area.

9:37 p.m.  The Iron Dome anti-rocket system intercepted one projectile over Beersheba, two others reportedly landed in open areas.

9:31 p.m. Code Red sirens sounded in the Golan Heights and Beersheba.

9:27 p.m. Code Red rocket sirens sound in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

9:02 p.m. Code Red rocket sirens sound in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

8:35 p.m. IDF update: So far today, 85 rockets fired from Gaza hit Israel; the Iron Dome intercepted an additional 15 rockets.

8:06 p.m. Code Red rocket siren sound in the Eshkol Regional Council.

7:15 p.m. Two children from a Beduin village near Beersheba were moderately-to-seriously injured by rocket shrapnel. The 11-year-old and 13-year-old were admitted to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

7:10 p.m. Code Red rocket siren sounded in Dimona, warning of a possible attack on the Negev city.

6:58 p.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens sound in the Eshkol Regional Council, Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council and the Ashkelon Caost Regional Council. Two rockets land in Eshkol region. None injured.

6:21 p.m. An 81-year-old man suffered serious head injuries when he fell while running to a bomb shelter in Beersheba to take cover from an incoming rocket attack.

6:15 p.m. A rocket fired from Syria exploded in open territory near an Israeli community in the northern Golan Heights on Monday, according to Army Radio. The rocket reportedly started a fire, but did not cause any injuries.

 The IDF would not confirm that a rocket fell, stating that an alert siren had sounded in the Golan Heights and they were still checking the circumstances.

5:57 p.m.  US Ambassador Dan Shapiro visited Ilan Solomon, who was seriously hurt from a Hamas rocket at a petrol station in Ashdod on Friday.  Solomon underwent complicated surgery at the Rabin Medical Center’s Beilinson Campus to remove shrapnel from his had and to save one arm from amputation.

5:54 p.m. A code red rocket alert siren sounded in the Golan Heights. There were no immediate reports on the cause of the siren.

5:53 p.m. Code Red sirens sounded in Beersheba and the surrounding areas as well as in the Sdot Negev Regional Council on Monday evening.

5:36 p.m. Code Red sirens sound in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.

5:13 p.m. After rocket sirens were heard in the greater Tel Aviv area, the IDF says the Israel Air Force had struck six rocket launching sites in the Gaza Strip a short while ago that the military said were used to fire projectiles at Sderot earlier in the day.

4:59 p.m. Several blasts were heard as air raid sirens were sounded in the greater Tel Aviv area, warning of a rocket attack.

4:49 p.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens sound in Ashdod and Ashkelon.

4:43 p.m. Finance Minister Yair Lapid gives all Israeli businesses a 5-day extension for paying their income tax and VAT, an attempt to ease some of the economic pressure resulting from the security situation. Businesses will be able to pay their taxes until the 20th of the month instead of the 15th. A week earlier, Lapid extended the tax deadline for businesses in the 40 km around Gaza until the 25th of the month.

4:27 p.m.  The IAF attacked the rocket launchers which fired projectiles at the western Negev town of Kissufim, not far from the Gaza border, the army announced on Monday.

The army vows it would continue to hit Palestinians in Gaza involved in firing rockets at Israeli civilians.

4:25 p.m. Two rockets explode in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported.

4:02 p.m. A rocket explodes in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council area. No injuries or damage were caused in the attack.

3:38 p.m. Code Red sirens sound in the Eshkol Regional Council.

3:15 p.m. A soldier suffered light injuries from shrapnel from a Gazan mortar shell in Eshkol Monday afternoon. He was treated on scene and later taken to an area hospital for extended medical care.

2:47 p.m. Code Red siren sounds in Kiryat Malachi, Hof Ashkelon.

2:45 p.m. A mortar shell from Gaza landed in a warehouse in Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, setting the building on fire.

Police were on the scene and reported that no people were injured in the incident.

2:24 p.m. Code Red siren sounds in Eshkol and Sha'ar Hanegev.

2:19 p.m. Code Red siren sounds in Gan Yavne.

2:13 p.m. Code Red siren sounds in Eshkol Regional Council.

1:44 p.m. The European Union said on Monday it was in touch with "parties in the region" to press for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The EU was following events in Gaza, where health officials said more than 166 Palestinians have been killed during a week-long Israeli offensive, with great concern.

"We call on all sides to exercise maximum restraint, to avoid casualties and to return calm. We are in contact with parties in the region to do their utmost to achieve an immediate ceasefire," EU foreign policy spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told reporters, without giving details.

1:33 p.m. Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge: 980 Gazan rockets have been launched at Israel, Iron Dome has intercepted 200 rockets, the IAF has struck 1470 sites in Gaza.

Since midnight there have been 32 rockets launched at Israel, 28 rocket hits, and 4 interceptions.

1:15 p.m. Moments ago a rocket alert siren sounded in Ashkelon. One rocket was intercepted by Iron Dome.

1:13 p.m. Since the beginning of the operation, 38 Gazan rockets fell within Gaza in civilian areas, according to the IDF.

1:00 p.m. Rocket falls in open area of Eshkol.

12:55 p.m. A siren sounds in Eshkol.

12:43 p.m. Six rockets were launched at Ashdod moments ago. One fell in a yard next to a house, leaving an 8-year-old boy with light injuries and setting a car on fire. The boy was being treated by paramedics.

One rocket fell in an open area, and the remaining four were intercepted by Iron Dome.

12:35 p.m. Sirens were also heard in Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev.

12:29 p.m. A rocket exploded in an open area in the Eshkol region. No injuries or damage were reported.

12:25 p.m. A rocket alert siren sounds in Ashdod, Gan Yavne, Be'er Tuvia and in the Lachish region.

11:58 a.m. A rocket siren was heard in Sha'ar Hanegev. No explosion or interception was heard, and there were no reports of damage or injuries.

11:35 a.m. Police reported that an unspecified number of rockets were fired on Ashkelon. Iron Dome intercepted all of the rockets in the barrage. 

11:19 a.m. Rocket sirens sound in Ashkelon and Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. Successful interception of rockets.

11:02 a.m. The military wing of Hamas, the Al Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for sending a drone from Gaza into Israeli territory Monday morning.

Hamas spokespeople also said that they sent several other drones into Israel for deep reconnaissance purposes.

The Patriot missile battery shot down the one identified drone over an open area in Ashdod.

10:43 a.m. Sirens are heard in Be'er Tuvia and Asheklon.

9:55 a.m. The southern part of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council is now a closed military zone due to security reasons, Army Radio says.

9:36 a.m. Yarin Levy, 16, who was badly injured by shrapnel from an exploding rocket on Sunday in Ashkelon was in stable condition overnight in the ICU and was improving, MDA said Monday.

8:26 a.m. Sirens heard in the Ashkelon and Ashdod areas. Two rockets were identified, one fell next to a home in Ashkelon. No injuries were reported, but the rocket caused damage to the building.

8:21 a.m. An unexploded rocket was identified in the yard of a private home in Ashkelon. Police were on their way to the scene.

7:59 a.m. An unmanned aircraft entered Israeli territory from Gaza and was shot down over Ashdod by the Patriot missile battery Monday morning.

The Israeli Navy was searching for remnants of the drone, which was shot down over an open area near the coast. The drone set off a Code Red alert siren in the city.

7:55 a.m. Sirens were heard in Hof Ashkelon, Netivot and Sdot Hanegev Regional Councils moments ago.

7:11 a.m. Code Red sirens sounded in Sdot Hanegev and surrounding areas.

3:17 a.m. The IDF Spokesman's Office stated on Monday that Israel has kept the border crossing into Gaza open to fuel and humanitarian imports.

According to IDF statistics, 70 trucks carrying food and general supplies crossed into Gaza on Sunday. 120 tons of gas and 376,000 liters of fuels also entered Gaza at the border crossing with Israel despite ongoing hostilities and continued rocket fire into Israel.

3:05 a.m. Code Red sirens sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council and 12 rockets were fired at the area.

12:29 a.m. Code Red siren heard in the northern city of Nahariya as two Katyusha rockets were launched at the northern city and fell in open areas.

• Sunday, July 13  

11:55 p.m. Sirens were heard in Ashkelon late on Sunday night and Iron Dome intercepted seven out of seven rockets launched at the southern city.

11:00 p.m. A projectile was fired from Syria into Israel's Golan Heights on Sunday evening. No injuries were reported. The IDF responded with precision artillery fire at Syrian army positions.

IDF sources said they identified accurate strikes. Security officials say they believe the projectile was fired at Israel deliberately. "The IDF views the Syrian regime as responsible for what is done in its territory," the military said.

10:50 p.m. A Gazan missile hit an open area outside of a kibbutz in the Sdot Hanegev Regional Council, Israel Police reported Sunday night. There were no reports of injuries or damages as a result of the rocket.

10:00 p.m. Rocket from Gaza strikes in open area in the Eshkol Regional Council, directly outside a community. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

9:30 p.m. Two Gazan rockets hit open areas in the Eshkol Regional Council. There were no injuries or damage reported.

8:15 p.m. 20 rockets from Gaza launched toward Israel. Rocket alert sirens were sounded Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Rocket alert sirens were also sounded in Yavne, Gan Yavne, Modi'in, Ariel, Kiryat Malahi, the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council, Ashdod, and the Eshkol Regional Council.  

Two rockets were intercepted over Gan Yavne, one rocket was intercepted over Ashkelon and another rocket landed in an open area in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

7:33 p.m. The soldier who was moderately injured by a mortar shell in Eshkol over the weekend has undergone a drastic improvement in his condition after several surgeries, Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba announced Sunday. He has regained consciousness and is breathing independently.

7:26 p.m. Rockets fall in the Sdot Negev Regional Council and in Netivot. No injuries or damage were reported.

7:17 p.m. Hamas denied that its leader, Khaled Mashaal was on a secret visit on Sunday in Turkey to try to find ways to reach a ceasefire to end the current hostilities between the Hamas ruled Gaza Strip and Israel.

An earlier report on Israel's Channel 2 said that the Hamas leader had traveled to Turkey on Sunday to advance a ceasefire. 

7:06 p.m. Code Red alert sirens sound in Netivot and the Bnei Shimon Regional Council area.

7:00 p.m. US Secretary of State Kerry speaks to Prime Minister Netanyahu by phone, saying US is growing concerned about escalating tensions on the ground in Gaza.

6:21 p.m.  Three rockets fall in the Eshkol Regional Council area.No injuries were reported in the attack, but a chicken coop was hit and a fire started as a result of one of the rockets. Firefighters were on the scene.

6:15 p.m. Sirens were heard in Gedera, Gan Yavne and surrounding areas. Two rockets intercepted above Gedera

6:10 p.m. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will travel to the Middle East on Monday and meet Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and  Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, to discuss the ongoing hostilities between Hamas and Israel, German media reported on Sunday.

5:59 p.m. A rocket lands in the Sderot area. No injuries or damage were reported.

5:57 p.m. A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel lands in the Sdot Negev Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported in the attack.

5:25 p.m. Two people lightly injured on way to bomb shelters in Hadera and Netanya.

5:09 p.m. Shrapnel from an intercepted rocket falls in Rishon Lezion; no resulting injuries.

5:00 p.m. Rocket alert sirens sounded for the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip.

4:53 p.m. The IAF struck 2 rocket launchers used to fire on Ashdod and Beersheba in recent minutes. A third rocket launcher in north Gaza used to fire on central Israel was also hit.

4:49 p.m. MDA says that so far no bodily injuries from barrage of rocket fire; some treated for anxiety throughout country

4:35 p.m. At the same time rockets are fired at central Israel from Gaza , sirens sound in Nahariya in the North. Authorities checking if rockets were fired from Lebanon

4:35 p.m. Rocket alert sirens sounded in the greater Tel Aviv area as well as further north in Hadera, Binyamina and Zichron Yaakov

At least two rockets are intercepted above Tel Aviv area.

4:05 p.m. Ashkelon fire crews headed to two locations in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council, one of which fell in the area's industrial district to put out fires caused by Gazan rocket hits.

4:02 p.m. 51 Gazan rockets have fallen in Israeli territory today. Ten were intercepted.

3:50 p.m.   Code red sirens sound in the Eshkol Regional Council.

3:40 p.m.   Code red rocket sirens sounded in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

2:55 p.m. President Shimon Peres charged that "there can be no compromise with terror" as terrorists in the Gaza Strip continued to launch rockets at Israel.

2:50 p.m. The Code Red siren sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council.

2:41 p.m. A rocket fired in the latest launching from Gaza landed in Ashkelon, causing light damage. No injuries were reported.

2:23 p.m. Red Alert sirens sound in Ashkelon and Ashdod

2:18 p.m. Two rockets  land in open areas in the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damage are reported in the attacks.

2:04 p.m.  Since Sunday morning, the IDF has carried out a series of targeted strikes in the Gaza Strip, the military's spokesperson said.

The IDF has targeted Hamas bases of operation in the Strip, including a building used by one of its operatives in Beit Lahiya.

The military also said it destroyed a building in Beit Lahiya used by Islamic Jihad to launch rockets into Israel.

The IDF says that 36 percent of all rocket fire since Monday originated in northern Gaza. Of all of the long-range rockets launched by Palestinians, 30 percent originated in Beit Lahiya, while 10 percent of all rockets launched originated in Beit Lahiya.

1:56 p.m. Air raid sirens sounded in Be'er Tuvia and the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

1:34 p.m. Code Red sirens sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council.

1:30 p.m. Pope Francis called for an end to the flare-up of hostility between Palestinians and Israelis, urging leaders to listen to the call of the people who want peace.

12:33  A rocket fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip landed in Ashkelon on Sunday. One person was injured in the attack.

12:21 p.m.  Palestinian sources reported on Sunday that Palestinian factions in Gaza executed a Shin Bet collaborator shortly after his arrest.

“The collaborator was operating on the ground,” said one source, without going into further details.

12:09 p.m. The Code Red siren sounded in Ashkelon and the surrounding region

11:11 a.m. Code Red rocket sirens sounded in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.

11:13 a.m. Code Red sirens sound in Ashkelon Coast Council

11:12 a.m.  Two rockets fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip landed in the Merhavim Regional Council area near Beersheba. No injuries or damage were reported.

10:48 a.m.  Code Red siren sounds in Sdot Negev Regional Council.

10:42 a.m. Two rockets fired from Gaza landed in open areas near Beersheba after the  Code Red siren sounded in the major Negev city.

10:06 a.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens sounded in Ashkelon, Ashdod and Be'er Tuvia on Sunday morning.

8:54 a.m.  Five rockets fired from Gaza exploded in open areas in the Eshkol Regional Council. The Code Red siren was sounded in the area warning of the incoming attack.

8:50 a.m. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was preparing on Sunday to write a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealing for "international protection" for Palestinians as the IDF continued its operation against persistent Hamas rocket fire.

7: 54 a.m. The IDF has begun alerting tens of thousands of residents in northern Gaza to vacate the area ahead of more intensive IAF attacks on rocket launchers and commanders there, a senior army source said Sunday. 

6:25 a.m. Three rockets were intercepted over the Shfela region; one over Ashdod. Sirens continue in the south.

6:00 a.m. Sirens sound in multiple areas in Shfela region, central Israel: Ben Gurion Airport, Rishon Lezion, Ramla, Lod, Rehovot, Nes Ziona, following sirens in the south, in Ashdod and Ashkelon.

3:50 a.m. Israel Navy commandos raided a facility from which Hamas fired many long-range rocket at Israeli cities, the IDF said. During the raid, the commandos were shot at by Hamas gunmen, and returned fire. "The facility was hit and damaged," the army said.

Four commandos sustained light injuries during the special operation. They have been evacuated to hospital in Israel

3:00 a.m. Hamas spokesman calls air strike Israel's response to U.N. statement. "Israel has replied to the United Nations statement by killing 15 Palestinians. So Israel, by doing that, they have rejected the statement and we during this massacre confirmed that we will protect our Palestinian people and we will face the Israeli offensive. Fifteen martyrs killed in one moment."

1:45 a.m. Code Red sirens continue to wail in nation's south. Several rockets explode in open areas in the Sdot Negev Regional Council.

12:41 a.m. Series of code red rocket alert sirens sound in the Sha'ar Hanegev and Sdot Negev Regional Councils.

12:15 a.m. Local authorities in Western Galilee towns, including the mayors of Nahariya and Shlomi, have ordered to open public bomb shelters in their cities, following a rocket attack from Lebanon in northern Israel.

12:00 a.m. Code Red alert sounds in Eshkol Regional Council.

• Saturday, July 12

23:35 p.m. Arabs hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at police forces in the east Jerusalem village of Issawiya. In At-Tur and Kalandia, dozens of masked Arab rioters threw rocks at police who were dispersing the crowds. The Molotov cocktails caused a fire near Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus; no injuries were reported during the clashes.

23:15 p.m. Gaza health ministry says Israeli air strike on home of Gaza's police chief kills 15 Palestinians. Israel has not confirmed the report. A source in Hamas said the police chief, Tayseer Al-Batsh, was in a critical condition and most of the dead were from the same family.

23:00 p.m. Hamas’s military arm attempted to conduct psychological warfare via social media Friday, claiming to have hacked the Facebook accounts of dozens of MKs though there was no evidence it succeeded in doing so: “Al-Qassam Brigades succeeded in penetrating the accounts of dozens of enemy leaders and members of the Knesset,” the group tweeted.

As of Saturday night, no lawmakers’ Facebook pages showed signs of being hacked, nor were any threatening messages reported.

9:25 p.m. Rocket sirens blare in other regions of the country including Modi'in, Rehovot, Lod.

9:18 p.m. Two separate Code Red sirens sound in Tel Aviv, at least one interception reported.

8:45 p.m. Iron Dome intercepts rocket over Ashdod.

8:05 p.m. Hamas announced that at 9 p.m. on Saturday they will launch long range, yet undemonstrated J-80 rockets at Tel Aviv, Channel 2 reported. 

7:30 p.m. The UN Security Council on Saturday called for a ceasefire in hostilities between Palestinians and Israelis and expressed serious concern about the welfare and protection of civilians on both sides.

"The Security Council members called for de-escalation of the situation, restoration of calm, and reinstitution of the November 2012 ceasefire," the 15-member body said in a statement.

7:15 p.m. The IDF confirms that rockets from Gaza struck the West Bank cities of Hebron and Bethlehem. 

7:00 p.m. Code Red Sirens alert in Jerusalem and surrounding areas.

6:30 p.m. Magen David Adom EMS was treating one person in Rishon Lezion who fell down the stairs while he was running to a protected area during a rocket alert siren. MDA was treating another person in Ness Ziona who suffered shock. 

6:12 p.m. Iron Dome intercepts two rockets over central Israel in the Shfela area.

6:05 p.m. Rocket sirens sound in Ashdod, Lod, Rishon Lezion and other areas in the Shfela area.

5:30 p.m. Iron Dome intercepts rocket over Ashkelon.

3:55 p.m. Rocket sirens sound in Beersheba.

3:45 p.m. Report: Two of Hamas Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh's nephews killed by IAF strike on home that belonged to his sister.

3:25 p.m.  Rocket sirens sound in the western Negev.

3:15 p.m.  Rocket sirens heard in the western Negev.

3:07 p.m.  Rocket sirens heard in the Eshkol regional council.

2:58 p.m.  Rocket sirens heard in western Negev.

2:54 p.m.  Five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip, Channel 10 reported on Saturday.

2:32 p.m.  Rocket sirens are heard in greater Ashkelon.

2:30 p.m.  Two Israelis were injured on Saturday when a Palestinian rocket slammed into a home in the Gaza frontier town of Netivot.

The injuries are not considered serious, Channel 10 reported.

2:01 p.m.  Palestinians in Gaza launched rockets toward Ashkelon and the smaller communities near the border.

1:58 p.m.  Rocket sirens were activated a short time ago in Israeli towns close to the Gaza frontier.

1:37 p.m.  Rocket sirens sound in Beersheba, northern Negev towns, Dimona, and Yeruham.

1:36 p.m. Rocket sirens sound in Ashkelon.

1:10 p.m.  Rocket sirens were heard moments ago in Kerem Shalom, near the border with Gaza.

12:56 p.m.  Rocket sirens were activated moments ago in Ashkelon and the smaller towns and communities near the Gaza border.

12:52 p.m.  Rocket sirens sound in Ashkelon and Gaza frontier towns.

12:13 p.m.  Rocket sirens heard in Sdot Negev and Sha'ar Hanegev.

12:00 p.m.  Rocket intercepted by Iron Dome over Rehovot, while at least two rockets fell in open areas near the city.

11:42 a.m.  Palestinians fired a barrage of rockets at the western Negev, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and the Shfela region.

11:35 a.m.  Israel’s air force will continue to pound targets in the Gaza Strip over the course of at least the next 24 hours, the IDF Spokesperson said on Saturday.

Brig.-Gen. Moti Almoz told Israel Radio on Saturday that there were still “many” targets in the Gaza Strip remaining. While air force sorties will continue, the army high command is simultaneously preparing for a ground incursion.

Almoz told Israel Radio that Hamas is “growing increasingly frustrated over its inability to exact casualties among Israeli civilians.” He said that the army was diligently working to avoid civilian casualties among the Palestinian population in Gaza.

11:30 a.m.  Rocket sirens were heard in Ashkelon as well as nearly a dozen other smaller communities near the Gaza frontier.

11:13 a.m.  Rocket sirens sound in the Gaza frontier kibbutz of Nir Oz.

10:41 a.m.  Hamas officials assailed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for his criticism of the persistent rocket attacks on Israel, Israel Radio reported on Saturday.

Leaders of the Islamist movement which rules Gaza said that Abbas, who heads the rival Fatah faction, was “aiding the enemy” by making his statement. Hamas accused the PA chief of “acting as a third party” while branding him “a criminal” and “a Likud member.”

9:55 a.m.  Residents of the Gaza border towns in the western Negev heard rocket sirens moments ago.

9:48 a.m.  An operations center housed in the Al-Faruk mosque in central Gaza, which was used to store rockets and other weapons, was struck by the IDF early on Saturday.

The Israel Air Force struck 60 terror targets across Gaza overnight between Friday and Saturday, bringing the total number of targets hit to 1,160.

Ten terrorist operatives were killed in air strikes, including six involved in rocket fire on Israel, the IDF said. A launcher in south Gaza used to fire on Beersheba overnight was also destroyed.

Navy ships struck several targets, including a Hamas observation post and a location used as a meeting point by Hamas and Popular Resistance Committees.

Since Monday night, dozens of operational infrastructure sites used by senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad members have been destroyed, the IDF said.

9:30 a.m.  Palestinian officials in the Gaza Strip said at least 16 people were killed overnight Friday during Israeli airstrikes as Operation Protective Edge entered its fifth day.

3:55 a.m. 2 rockets landed in open fields outside of Beersheva while a third was intercepted by Iron Dome after Code Red sirens sounded in Beersheba and several other southern communities.

2:50 a.m. Palestinian sources were quoted by Reuters stating that 106 people had been killed in Gaza in Operation claiming that many of them were civilians.

2:08 a.m. In the IDF's fourth day of Operation Protective Edge 140 rockets were fired from Gaza and 27 of those were intercepted by Iron Dome batteries.

107 rockets hit Israeli soil. In response, 235 terror targets were struck in Gaza.

1:34 a.m. The IDF Spokesman's office reported targeting several terrorists conspiring to launch rockets from Gaza.

12:17 a.m. Code Red sirens went off in the Eshkol Regional Council.

• Friday, July 11

11:12 p.m.  Jordan's King Abdullah II fears Israel's military operation against Hamas in Gaza will compromise efforts to achieve a two-state solution, and will further entrench the plight of Palestinians, he told US Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday in Washington.

Referring to the crisis in Gaza as a "dangerous Israeli escalation," the Jordanian monarch asserted that developments over recent days "would increase the suffering of the Palestinian people and foil attempts to resume peace talks between Palestinians and the Israelis."

10:51 p.m.  Israel Radio reporting that Iron Dome intercepted two rockets fired toward greater Tel Aviv.

10:47 p.m.  Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday urged the United Nations Security Council to order an immediate truce between Israel and Hamas.

Abbas, who is based in the West Bank and agreed a power-sharing deal with Gaza's dominant Hamas in April after years of feuding, called for international help: "The Palestinian leadership urges the Security Council to quickly issue a clear condemnation of this Israeli aggression and impose a commitment of a mutual ceasefire immediately," he said.

10:34 p.m.  Three rockets land in uninhabited areas in the western Negev. No injuries or damage reported.

10:15 p.m.  IAF aircraft kills Palestinian terrorist responsible for Gaza rocket fire on Tel Aviv.

9:39 p.m.  Two Israelis were injured when a Palestinian rocket struck a home in Beersheba. One of the injured, an 80-year-old woman, sustained injuries in the attack.

She was rushed to Soroka Medical Center.

9:17 p.m.  The Iron Dome system intercepted Palestinian rockets launched toward the coastal town of Herzliya.

The interception occurred shortly after sirens were also activated in the town of Ness Ziona, near Rehovot.

9:13 p.m.  Palestinians in Gaza launched rockets toward central Israel moments ago. Residents of the Tel Aviv suburbs and greater Rehovot are strongly urged to seek shelter.

9:08 p.m.  Rocket sirens sounded in Beersheba, neighboring communities

9:07 p.m.  Amnesty International is demanding that the United Nations commission an independent panel to investigate possible war crimes by both Israel and Hamas.

The organization released a statement urging the UN to investigate "violations committed on all sides amidst ongoing Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip and continuing volleys of indiscriminate rocket fire from Palestinian armed groups into Israel."

8:55 p.m. The Iron Dome intercepted two rockets in the skies over Tel Aviv just moments after sirens wailed all across the city and in neighboring Holon.

Residents of Tel Aviv reported hearing two loud explosions shortly after the sirens were activated.

8:39 p.m. Rocket sirens sound in the Hof Ashkelon regional council.

8:17 p.m.  Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman called on the government to "go all the way" and "eradicate the Hamas regime in Gaza."

In an interview with Channel 2, the foreign minister said that Operation Protective Edge should be the final Israeli military action against the Hamas government in Gaza.

8:08 p.m.  An anti-tank missile was fired at an IDF unit on the border with northern Gaza, injuring two soldiers lightly. They have been evacuated to hospital.

8:01 p.m.  Rocket sirens sound in Ashdod, Ashkelon, and the Israeli towns surrounding the Gaza frontier.

7:56 p.m.  Rocket sirens sound in Ashdod.

7:55 p.m.  Gaza residents told Channel 2 that they are fearful of the prospect of an Israeli ground invasion in the Hamas-ruled territory.

Gazans told Channel 2 that the operations in 2008 and 2012 were "child's play" compared to the amount of Israeli firepower unleashed these past four days.

7:45 p.m. Rocket sirens sound in towns near the Gaza border.

7:42 p.m.  Rocket sirens sound in Negev frontier towns.

7:34 p.m.  Rocket sirens sound in Beersheba, Ashkelon, and western Negev towns near Gaza border.

7:22 p.m. Rocket sirens sound in Sderot. Iron Dome intercepts rocket.

6:59 p.m. Rocket sirens sound in the Hof Ashkelon regional council.

6:42 p.m. Iron Dome intercepts Gaza rockets over the southern suburbs of Tel Aviv. No damage or injuries was reported.

6:37 p.m. Palestinians in Gaza launched a barrage of rockets at central Israel. No sirens were sounded, suggesting that the rockets were in no danger of landing in inhabited areas.

6:33 p.m. Rockets fired at central Israel and the Shfela area.

6:31 p.m.  Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu vowed on Friday that Israel would continue its military offensive in the Gaza Strip until Jerusalem can ensure that all rocket fire on Israeli towns would cease.

When asked whether Israel was preparing a ground invasion, Netanyahu said, "We are preparing all options."

Netanyahu told the nation on Friday that Israel would continue to strike "decisive" blows against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu praised the Iron Dome anti-rocket battery for intercepting hundreds of Hamas projectiles fired at Israeli towns.

5:57 p.m.  Rocket sirens heard in Beersheba, Ashkelon, and Gaza frontier towns.

5:56 p.m.  The United Nations human rights chief on Friday voiced serious doubts that Israeli's military operation against Gaza complied with international law banning the targeting of civilians, and called on both sides to respect the rules of war.

International law requires Israel to take all measures to ensure that its attacks are proportional, distinguish between military and civilian objects, and avoid civilian casualties, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said.

"We have received deeply disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes. Such reports raise serious doubt about whether the Israeli strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law," Pillay said in a statement.

5:51 p.m.  A fourth day of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip killed 11 more Palestinians on Friday, raising the death toll in the coastal enclave to at least 96, most of them civilians, Palestinian officials said.

5:48 p.m.  A fire that erupted in the old Jerusalem train station in the southern part of the capital was believed to have been caused by an arsonist who hurled a firebomb into the structure, Channel 10 reported on Friday.

Investigators believe the arson was motivated by nationalist sentiments, according to Channel 10.

5:43 p.m.  Many residents of Israeli towns adjacent to the Gaza security fence have left their homes in the face of massive barrages of rockets and mortars, Channel 10 reported on Friday.

5:20 p.m.  Officers in the IDF high command told Channel 10 that Israel must shift strategy and launch a ground offensive in Gaza to remove the threat of Palestinian rocket fire on the country's towns and cities.

5:05 p.m.  Rocket sirens wound in Ashkelon.

5:03 p.m.  Egyptian authorities operating on the Sinai-Gaza border thwarted an attempt to smuggle advanced GRAD missiles into the peninsula, Israel Radio reported on Friday.

According to Al-Ahram newspaper, Palestinians tried to smuggle 20 GRAD missiles into Sinai, from where it would then seek to launch them into Israel.

4:57 p.m.  Rocket sirens sound in frontier communities adjacent to Gaza border.

4:40 p.m.  Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Israeli bombardment of Gaza was blocking efforts to patch up relations undermined by a 2010 attack by Israeli commandos on a Turkish ship that had been challenging its blockade of the Palestinian territory.

NATO member Turkey and Israel are both US allies and their once close relations, which extended to security cooperation and joint military exercises, were an important part of Washington's regional policy.

"We cannot normalize (relations). First, this cruelty must end," Erdogan said during a speech in the central Turkish city of Yozgat late on Thursday.

4:23 p.m.  The IDF killed a terrorist in Gaza it said was responsible for rocket fire on Israel in recent minutes.

Since the morning, the IDF has killed seven Hamas terrorists and others involved in rocket fire, including two who belong to long-range rocket fire squads who were spotted en route to carrying out additional launches.

4:05 p.m.  The army said that two of the rockets fired at Beersheba minutes ago landed in an uninhabited area.

3:44 p.m. Rocket sirens were heard in the Bnei Shimon regional council seconds ago.

3:42 p.m. Rocket sirens sounded in Beersheba moments ago.

3:28 p.m. The Code Red siren sounded in Beersheba and surrounding communities in the Negev on Friday afternoon.

3:00 p.m. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged heads of Muslim states to help the Palestinian people and lift the siege on Gaza, according to the Fars News Agency.

He warned that the Gaza blockade and shortage of medical aid could lead lead to human catastrophe, adding that helping "the oppressed people of Palestine and preventing the Zionist regime from committing its atrocities are the common responsibility of all international organizations and freedom-loving countries."

2:48 p.m. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz said terrorists in Gaza made a grave mistake by attacking the people of Israel. He warned that they were bringing disaster upon themselves by continuing to launch rocket attacks into civilian areas.

2:43 p.m. Code Red sirens sounded in southern Israeli communities in the Gaza vicinity. As threats of rocket attack continued throughout the day, sirens were activated in the Sdot Negev Regional Council, Bnei Shimon Regional Council and Netivot.

1:56 p.m. The Code Red siren sounded in Ofakim, near the major Negev city of Beersheba.

1:35 p.m. IDF update: Since midnight, Hamas has fired 44 rockets at Israel, the Iron Dome intercepted 11. The IDF has targeted 159 terror sites in the Gaza Strip.

1:20 pm. Code Red siren sounds in Ashdod and surrounding areas. Two interceptions by Iron Dome. Four more rockets land in Negev, outside a community in Eshkol Regional Council.

12:57 p.m. Code Red sirens continue in communities adjacent to Gaza frontier.

12:50 p.m. Two rockets intercepted in Ashkelon by Iron Dome as sirens sound in city; one explodes in open area outside of a kibbutz. 

12:47 p.m. Code Red siren sounded in communities across southern Israeli, including the Eshkol Regional Council, the Sdot Negev Regional Council and the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. Rockets fall in open areas, but no injuries reported. 

12:31 p.m. Police report that a rocket fired from Gaza directly hit a house in the Eshkol Regional Council. The inhabitants of the home had already reached the bomb shelter before impact. No injuries were reported.

12:11 p.m. The Code Red siren sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council a little after noon on Friday as rockets from Gaza continued to pummel Israel, particularly in the South.

11:43 a.m. Sirens sound in the Hof Ashkelon regional council, followed by alerts in Ashdod.

11:00 a.m. Code Red rocket siren sounds in Sha'ar Hanegev, Sdot Negev Regional Councils as two rockets explode in open areas.

10:45 a.m. Iron Dome intercepts three rockets over the greater Tel Aviv area. Air traffic halts at Ben-Gurion Airport as sirens go off at in the area.

10:43 a.m. Code Red sirens sounded in Tel Aviv on Friday morning.

10: 27 a.m. A rocket fired from Gaza landed in open area in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council, causing no injuries or damage. Code Red sirens also sounded in the Sdot Negev Regional Council and the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.

10:23 a.m. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Israel's operation in Gaza was blocking efforts to patch up relations undermined by the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid.

10:10 a.m. Code Red siren sounds in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council, warning of a possible rocket attack from the Gaza Strip.

9:29 a.m. IAF hits launching pad that fired rockets towards Ashdod. 

9:00 a.m. Rocket sirens wail in Eshkol Regional Council as Iron Dome intercepts two rockets, one explodes in open area.

8:20 a.m. A volley of rockets was launched from the Gaza Strip at southern and central Israel. One rocket struck a fuel tank next to a gas station in Ashdod, causing serious damage and a fire. Eight people were evacuated to a nearby hospital, one critically injured.

8:00 a.m. Code Red siren sounds in Ness Ziona, Ashdod, Rishon, Lezion, Netivot, Ashkelon and Gedera Friday morning.

6:45 a.m. One rocket was fired on Friday on a village in the Upper Galilee. There were no injuries in the attack. Artillery fire was directed at the area from which the rocket was fired, a senior army source said.

6:31 a.m. Blasts heard in Metulla.

6:30 a.m. Code Red rocket alert siren sounds in Ofakim, Netivot, and in Sderot.

6:15 a.m. Code Red rocket siren sounds in Sderot. 

4:00 a.m. Rockets were fired from Gaza on Haifa, Hadera, and Zichron Yaakov. It was not yet clear how many rockets were fired or where they landed. Hamas's military wing claimed responsibility for the barrage, Israel Radio reported.

3:32 a.m. Code Red rocket alert siren sounds in Haifa.

1:25 a.m. Iron Dome rocket defense system intercepts rocket over Ashkelon.

1:23 a.m.  A Code Red rocket alert siren sounded in Ashkelon and in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council.

• Thursday, July 10 

11:23 p.m. French President Francois Hollande is concerned by the worsening crisis in Israel and Gaza, his office said, calling for the escalation in violence to end and both sides to guarantee the safety of civilians.

10:23 p.m. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu emerged from a marathon security cabinet meeting at the end of Operation Protective Edge’s third day saying the campaign would continue and expand.

9:50 p.m. Two rockets fell in open areas of the Sdot Negev Regional Council.

No injuries or damage were reported in the attacks.

9:31 p.m. 2 soldiers injured, one moderately one lightly from Eshkol mortar.

9:14 p.m. Rocket hits car in Ashdod; Channel 2 retracts report that one critically injured.

8:59 p.m. A rocket fired from Gaza directly struck a home in Ashdod after a barrage of projectiles were launched toward the southern city.

8:57 p.m. A volley of rocket from the Gaza Strip targeted the Ashdod area on Thursday night. The Iron Dome defense system made several interceptions. A number of rockets were fired at the area again minutes later.

8:36 p.m. Sirens heard in Gan Yavne, Kiryat Malachi, Bat Yam, Holon, Rishon Lezion, Rehovot, and surrounding areas in the Lachish region.

7:45 p.m. The Iron Dome defense system intercepted a number of rockets fired from Gaza at the greater Tel Aviv area at around 7:45 p.m. on Thursday.

7:30 p.m. The Code Red rocket siren sounds in Dimona and Mitzpe Ramon.

7:28 p.m. Code Red rocket siren sounds in Beersheba.

6:55 p.m. Code Red rocket siren sounded in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council, signalling an incoming projectile attack from the Gaza Strip.

6:42 p.m. Tel Aviv residents report hearing two explosions over or near the city. No siren was heard.

6:27 p.m. Update to Jerusalem sirens: Judea and Samaria District Police said that two rockets were found in the Ma'ale Adumim area and the Binyamin area.

5:57 p.m. The Code Red siren sounded in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas on Thursday evening.

5:34 p.m. A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck a home in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Coucil. No injuries were reported.

5:14 p.m. Safety instructions from the Home Front Command will be broadcast Thursday at 10:30 p.m in Amharic, English, Hebrew and Russian on Channel 23, the Israeli Educational Channel.

4:57 p.m. The IDF targeted three Palestinian Islamic Jihab terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip. The military identified the three PIJ operatives as Mahmoud Walud, Hazm Balusha and Alla'a Abd al-Nabi. The latter was responsible for firing projectiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv in recent days, the IDF said.

4:55 p.m. A few wounded Palestinians crossed into Egypt via the Rafah border crossing on Thursday after Egyptian authorities allowed its re-opening, media in Gaza reported.

A total of 84 Palestinians, most of them civilians and including 22 children, have been killed in Israel's Gaza offensive, the health ministry said on Thursday.

Terrorists kept up rocket attacks on Tel Aviv and other cities in warfare showing no signs of ending soon.

4:25 p.m. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Thursday that Operation Protective Edge would be limited, but at this point there are no negotiations for a ceasefire.

The prime minister told MKs who called to cut off electricity to Gaza that legal advisers would not allow it.

4:21 p.m. US Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated that the US completely supports Israel's right to defend itself amid the current escalations with Hamas. The US has been in touch with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to determine the way to a ceasefire, he said.

"It's a dangerous moment" in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and the US will do all it can to bring an end to violence, he added.

4:06 p.m. Code Red rocket sirens sounds in Ashkelon and the Eshkol Regional Council.

3:59 p.m. 84 rockets have been fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the IDF stated.

The Iron Dome has intercepted 12 of the rockets.

Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge, 339 rockets have fallen in Israel and 76 have been intercepted by the Iron Dome.

3:58 p.m. Rocket falls in open area in Sdot Hanegev Regional Council. None injured.

3:53 p.m. Code Red sirens sound in Sderot and the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council as rocket fire from Gaza continued to rain down on southern Israel.

3:40 p.m. Code Red sirens sound in Ashkelon and Sdot Hanegev Regional Council.

3:20 p.m. Code Red siren sounds in Sderot

3:08 p.m. The IDF has attacked some 60 terror targets in the Gaza Strip since Thursday morning, bringing the total number of targets hit since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge to 800.

2:45 p.m.  A Palestinian in a vehicle with an explosive heading towards Israel was intercepted at a checkpoint by Ministry of Defense security guards on Route 5.

Guards spotted a large bag containing a gas tank and electrical wires.

A bomb squad was dispatched to the scene to disarm the device. The driver told guards he was on his way to carrying out a terror attack.

2:22 p.m.  Channel 10: IDF kills Iman Siam, the head of Hamas' rocket arsenal in Gaza.

2:21 p.m. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu briefed the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Operation Protective Edge on Thursday.

A Code Red rocket alert siren went off during the meeting in Tel Aviv, sending the prime minister and MKs to the building's shelter.

1:40 p.m. Code Red sounds in Beersheba. Iron Dome intercepts 3 rockets, according to reports.

1:39 p.m. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon held consultations with security chiefs on Thursday as Operation Protective edge entered its third day. Ya'alaon said that the IDF had siginificantly hit terror infrastructure in Gaza and would continue to act "until they unbderstand that escalation is not worth their while and rocket fire on our communities will not be tolerated."

He suggested that the operation would continue: "We have long days ahead of us of fighting and attempts by Hamas to surprise Israel with terror attacks from the air."

1:04 p.m. Code Red sirens sounded in several communities throughout Israel on Thursday afternoon. Audible explosions were heard in the Tel Aviv area , although no Code Red siren proceeded the explosions.

Sirens sounded in areas of central Israel surrounding Tel Aviv, such as Lod and Ramle. Israeli media reports suggested that a heavy barrage of rockets had been fired toward the Greater Tel Aviv area, but the IDF did not immediately confirm the reports.

Siren were also sounded in southern cities Ashdod and Ashkelon.

12:46 p.m. Code Red sirens sound in The Sdot Negev and Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Councils.

12:37 p.m. A rocket fired at the Merhavim region of the South sparked a brush fire. Firefighters are on the scene.

12:11 p.m.  Rockets fired at Tel Aviv area landed in uninhabited region. No injuries or damage reported.

12:03 p.m.  Rocket sirens sound in Ofakim.

12:00 p.m.  Rocket sirens sound in Beersheba.

• Thursday, July 10

11:38 a.m. A wheat field in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council caught fire as the result of a rocket. Two firefighting teams from the Sderot station are en route to the scene.

11: 35 a.m. Two rockets land in the Eshkol Regional Council area. No injuries or damage reported.

11:31 a.m.  A Code red rocket alert siren sounds in the Greater Tel Aviv area. At least two audible explosions were heard following the alarm.

11:17 a.m. Code Red sirens sound in Sderot and in the Eshkol Regional Council.

10:54 a.m A Code Red siren sounds in Beersheba.

10:52 a.m. Three rockets land in open territory in Sde Boker in the Negev after Code Red sirens had earlier gone off  in Dimona, Yeruham and Mitzpe Ramon.

10:35 a.m. A rocket fell in the courtyard of a home in the Netivot area of southern Israel on Thursday.

A woman was lightly injured in the attack.

10:25 a.m. In the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF killed a Palestinian operative who was active in firing rockets at Israel.

10:05 a.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens sound in Dimona and Mitzpe Ramon

9:45 a.m. A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip fell in open territory in the Sdot Negev Regional Council area  on Thursday, igniting a brush fire.

No one was injured  in the attack.

Firefighters were en route to the scene.

9:30 A slew of rockets are fired at the Netivot area. Iron Dome reportedly intercepts several.

9:07 a.m.:  Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman sent a letter to his counterparts from nations which have diplomatic relations with Israel explaining the necessity of bringing quiet to the citizens of the South.

8:10 a.m.  Eight Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis, a Palestinian news site is reporting on Thursday.

According to Palinfo, the eight Palestinians, including four women and two children, were killed when an IAF jet struck a home in the Khan Yunis refugee camp.

Six of the dead were from the same family, Palinfo is reporting.

A health ministry spokesperson in Gaza told the site that 30 people were injured in the attack, which came without any warning.

8:04 a.m. The Iron Dome anti-rocket battery intercepted four missiles over Tel Aviv, Channel 2 is reporting. Residents of the city rushed into shelters as warning sirens wailed. The sirens were immediately followed by explosions, most likely the sound of the rockets being intercepted.

7:51 a.m. Rocket sirens heard in last 10 minutes in the Hof Ashkelon regional council, Sha'ar Hanegev regional council, Ashkelon, Netivot, and Ofakim.

7:42 a.m. Three Hamas operatives were killed in IAF strike in Gaza. The IDF Spokesperson said that the three men were involved in the firing of rockets at Israel.

7:13 a.m.  A Code Red rocket alert siren was heard in Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.

6:26 a.m. A Code Red rocket alert siren was heard a few minutes ago in Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.

2:40 a.m. Code Red in Ashkelon. A number of rockets were intercepted by Iron Dome.

1:38 a.m. Two rockets are intercepted by Iron Dome over Beersheba, one other lands in an open area, says the IDF. No injuries were reported.

1: 36 a.m. In the latest IDF strikes Wednesday night, a car marked as a media vehicle of a Gaza website which had the letters "TV" on it was hit, killing the driver, according to Palestinian reports.

Four others were killed in the bombing of a cafe in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, and a 37-year-old man was killed in central Gaza, Palestinian hospital officials said.

The casualties were not confirmed by the IDF.

1:19 a.m. A Code Red siren was heard in Beersheba.

12:50 a.m. British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed his "staunch support" for Israel's right to defend itself in a phone call Wednesday evening to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

Cameron "strongly condemned the appalling attacks being carried out by Hamas against Israeli civilians."

12:34 a.m. In the past 24 hours, 82 rockets hit Israel. An additional 21 rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, says the IDF. At one point this evening, dozens of rockets were fired towards Israel within just one hour.

12:30 a.m. The UN Security Council will meet at 10 a.m. (1400 GMT) on Thursday to discuss escalating Israel and Palestinian hostilities and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is likely to brief the 15-member body, diplomats said.

Israeli air strikes shook Gaza every few minutes on Wednesday, and terrorists kept up rocket fire at Israel's heartland in intensifying warfare that Palestinian officials said has killed at least 47 people in the Hamas-dominated enclave.

12:13 a.m. Two rockets are intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system over Kiryat Malachi.

• Wednesday, July 9   

11:56 p.m. A car crashed into a telephone pole near Kiryat Malachi during an air raid siren, 3 people were injured, police said.

11:33 p.m. Iron Dome intercepted a number of rockets over Ashdod and Ashkelon.

11:25 p.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens sound in Ashdod and Ashkelon.   

11:11 p.m. Following a Code Red rocket alert siren in the Sdot Negev Regional Council two rockets were fired in open areas. There were no injuries or damage.

10:20 p.m. The IDF says it is seeking to ascertain whether there was an infiltration on Zikim Beach.

10:00 p.m. The IDF detects two armed Hamas divers on Zikim Beach near the Gaza border on Wednesday evening. Soldiers open fire at the divers to thwart their infiltration. 

9:32 p.m IDF attacks over 80 terror sites within thirty minutes. 

9:00 p.m Rocket fired from Gaza lands in an open area in the Yavne area. There were no reports of damage or injury.    

8:40 p.m Hamas says that Shimon Peres' threats to launch ground attack on Gaza Strip are silly and don't scare them.

8:05 p.m. A Code Red rocket alert siren sounds in Rehovot and Ness Ziona and Yavne.

8:00 p.m. Three rockets were launched at Dimona in Southern Israel and the Iron Dome intercepted one before it could land. The two other rockets land in open areas.

Dimona is the location of a nuclear reactor. There was no indication that rockets damaged any part of the reactor.

7:48 p.m A Code Red Siren alerted in Dimona and Yerucham in southern Israel.

7:38 p.m Haifa Municipality to open bomb shelters to public.

7:16 p.m Iron Dome intercepts rocket over city of Ashkelon.

7:12 p.m Code Red Siren alerts in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, Ashdod, Sha'ar Hanegev and Sdot Hanegev.

6:50 p.m Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, telling them that Hamas is responsible for any civilian deaths in Gaza because they use them as human shields.

6:30 p.m. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas accuses Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza 

"It is genocide - the killing of entire families is genocide by Israel against our Palestinian people," he told a crisis meeting of Palestinian leaders in Ramallah, AFP reported.

6:27 p.m. 220 rockets have hit Israel since the operation started; the Iron Dome has intercepted an additional 53.

6:10 p.m. Some 200 people demonstrate against Operation Protective Eagle in Nazareth.

6:00 p.m. Five additional rockets fall in southern Israel. One rocket falls in the Sdot Negev Regional Council, three fall in the Eshkol Regional Council and one falls in southern area of the Yoav Regional Council. There were no reports of injuries from the barrage.

5:55 p.m. House in Eshkol Regional Council suffers direct hit in rocket attack. No injuries were reported.

5:35 p.m. There have been over 70 rockets fired from Gaza at Israel on Wednesday and over twenty interceptions of the Iron Dome rocket defense system.

5:25 p.m. Six rockets fall in open areas in Eshkol Regional Council.

5:07 p.m Code Red Siren alerts in Holon and Bat Yam; 2 rockets intercepted by Iron Dome.

4:35 p.m. Israel will step up its actions against Hamas and the other terrorist organizations operating from Gaza as part of Operation Protective Edge, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Wednesday following security deliberations held in Beersheba.

"The operation will expand and continue until the rocket firing on our cities stops, and the quiet returns," he said on the second day of the military operation.

4:32 p.m. Six rockets fell in the Eshkol Regional Council area. Some structures were damaged in the attacks.

4:31 p.m. The IDF has attacked some 130 terror targets in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. The army stated that it had targeted more than 550 targets since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge.

Among the targets hit were 31 terror tunnels, 60 underground rocket launchers, control and command centers for terror activity and weapons storehouses.

4:15 p.m. The Iron Dome rocket defense system intercepts a rocket over Ashkelon.

4:10 p.m Four rockets land in Eshkol Regional Council. One causes small fire to start in area but causes no damage or injuries.

4:05 p.m Code Red Siren alerts in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council and Ashkelon city.

3:00 p.m. A Hamas spokesperson stated that 300 Palestinians have been injured in IDF attacks on Gaza and 35 were killed in a press conference in Gaza City. The spokesperson added that the majority of those affected were civilians.

2:30 p.m. A Code Red siren was sounded over Zichron Yaakov, just south of Haifa and 115 km north of Gaza.

Initial reports by Channel 2 indicated that two rockets fell in open areas outside of Zichron Yaakov.

1:51 p.m. A Code Red siren was heard over Kiryat Gat followed by an interception by Iron Dome.

1:50 p.m. PA President Mahmoud Abbas contacted Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi earlier on Wednesday and briefed the Middle East leader on Israel's ongoing operation in Gaza.

"Sisi stressed Egypt was interested in the safety of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and sparing this grave assault," a statement from Abbas's office said, adding that Cairo would "exert efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire.".

Under Sisi, Cairo has secured closures on the Egyptian-Gaza border, increasing economic pressure on Hamas from a long-running Israeli blockade.

1:38 p.m. Rocket lands in open area in Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council; no injuries or damage reported.

1:20 p.m. Economy Minister Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) said Wednesday that the Israeli people are strong and are prepared to bear the ongoing situation, but that they expect the government and security forces to "do the [necessary] work."

"We are doing the work," he told Channel 2.

Bennett added, "I want to bless the security forces and the operators of Iron Dome."

However, he added that, "Wars are not won by defensive measures."

1:18 p.m. A Code Red rocket alert siren sounds in the Sderot area

1:00 p.m. Some 40 rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza thus far on Wednesday. Eight have been intercepted by the Iron Dome.

12:50 p.m. A rocket exploded in the Eshkol regional council, though no siren was sounded. No injuries or damages were reported.

12:18 p.m. Palestinian media reported on Wednesday that a father and son had been killed in the bombing of a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza by IAF aircraft.

According to the reports, an 80-year-old woman was also killed in the Moghraqa area of central Gaza.

Gaza medical authorities report that since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge  in Gaza , 27 people have been killed and over 100 have been injured.

12:15 p.m. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said on Wednesday that Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip will expand in the next few days while vowing that “it will exact a huge price.”

“We are continuing to carry out attacks that are exacting a heavy price from Hamas,” Ya’alon said. “We are destroying [Hamas’] arms, terrorist infrastructure, command and control systems, institutions, government buildings, terrorists’ homes, and we are killing terrorists in the organizational high command.”

12:05 The Iron Dome intercepted three rockets over Ashdod. A total of 8 rockets were fired from Gaza have been intercepted since this morning. Two more rockets landed in open areas outside of Eshkol.

11:59 a.m. A number of code red sirens sounded in the Lachish region, with alarms heard in Ashdod, Kiryat Malachi and Gedera.

11:52 a.m. Code red rocket alert sirens sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council

11:08 a.m. The IDF confirmed on Wednesday that an IAF airstrike targeted Hamas terror operative Abdullah Difallah while he was riding on a motorcycle in the northern Gaza Strip.

The IDF stated that Difallah had been responsible for firing rockets into Israel.

11:00 a.m. Obama urged both sides of the conflict to show restraint in a statement to German media.
"At this time of danger, everyone involved must protect the innocent and act in a sensible and measured way, not with revenge and retaliation," Obama wrote, according to an excerpt of a column written for Die Zeit weekly.
10:36 a.m. A rocket was intercepted over Ashkelon.  Debris landed near a school but no injuries were reported.
10:35 a.m.  Finance Minister Yair Lapid on Wednesday pledged government assistance in compensating residents of the south whose homes have been damaged by the barrage of rockets fired by Palestinians in Gaza.

During an appearance before the Knesset Finance Committee in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Lapid outlined the steps the state is taking to alleviate the economic hardships that have been exacerbated by the strife in the south.

The escalating conflict with Gaza has already caused NIS 10 million in property damage, and shuttered businesses across the south.

Since Saturday, the Israel Tax Authority received 99 claims for property damage related to the conflict (35 vehicles, 52 buildings, 12 agriculture-related). Property damage can be reported to 08-6623300.

10:02 a.m. Palestinian media reported that one person was killed and another was seriously injured in an IAF strike on a motorcycle in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

The IDF did not immediately confirm the strike.

10:01 a.m. Code Red sounded in Ashdod followed by sirens in Gan Yavne and Hof Ashkelon. Police reported that the rocket over Ashdod was likely intercepted by Iron Dome.

8:43 a.m. Rocket sirens sound in 20 different localities in Israel within the last 30 minutes. Residents of Tel Aviv, Modi'in, Rishon Letzion, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Rehovot, the Eshkol regional council, and Sha'ar Hanegev heard the sirens.

In Tel Aviv, explosions were heard immediately after the sirens. The Iron Dome system intercepted five missiles over the metropolitan Tel Aviv area.

7:30 a.m. Ron Prosor, Israel's Ambassador to the UN: “The Security Council has an obligation to unequivocally condemn Hamas before it is too late."

6:00 a.m. The IAF targeted 160 terror sites in the Gaza Strip since midnight.

5:30 a.m. The escalating conflict with Gaza has already caused NIS 10 million in property damage, and shuttered businesses across the south.Since Saturday, the Israel Tax Authority received 99 claims for property damage related to the conflict (35 vehicles, 52 buildings, 12 agriculture-related).

1:25 a.m. The long-range projectile fired by Hamas in Gaza at Hadera is an M302 Syrian-produced rocket, according to initial analysis of the remains of the rocket fired on Tuesday.

• Tuesday, July 8 

Daily recap: Terrorists in Gaza fired about 160 rockets at Israel on Tuesday, including a salvo of some 20-30 rockets - some of which reached the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv areas. The Iron Dome defense system intercepted about 40 of the projectiles. The IDF targeted 240 sites in the Gaza Strip in response.

11:57 p.m. Palestinian Authority President called an emergency meeting of Palestinian leadership for Wednesday to discuss the Israeli "aggression," which he blamed on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's coalition.

11:00 p.m. An Iron Dome battery intercepted rockets over the central city of Rishon Lezion late Tuesday night after air raid sirens were heard in the area.

10:30 p.m. IAF and IDF forces have hit 200 targets in Gaza since the launch of Operation Protective Edge. More than fifty of those targets were hit in the last hour.

10:10 p.m. The Herzliya Municipality announced that it had opened all public bomb shelters in the city in light of the firing of Gaza rockets at the Gush Dan region.

10:06 p.m.  Air raid sirens continue to sound in various cities in central and southern Israel.

9:55 p.m. Code Red sirens were were sounded and  two loud thuds were heard by residents in downtown Jerusalem shortly after a rocket siren went off in the capital. Thousands of city residents promptly entered bomb shelters, while others remained outside and in area cafes.

According to police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld none of the rockets fired from Gaza landed directly in the city of Jerusalem, although two rockets likely landed just outside the city.

9:48 p.m. Air raid sirens hear in central Israel, a blast was heard in Tel Aviv but sirens did not sound in the city.

9:47 p.m. Security forces are investigating after finding an abandoned parachute near Kibbutz Yad Mordechai in southern Israel.

One of the suspicions is that the parachute was used by a Hamas terrorist who may have used a motorized glider to infiltrate the country.

9:30 p.m. Rocket intercepted by Iron Dome over Ashkelon.

8:49 p.m. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz said Hamas chose an escalation with Israel and that other terror organizations have joined it. "We will now activate all of our force and take all the time that it's needed in various stages in order to reach victory," Gantz said.

8:41 p.m. The Jerusalem Municipality announced Tuesday evening that it will open public bomb shelters across the capital. A list of all the shelters can be found on the municipality website www.jerusalem.muni.il. In the statement, the municipality also recommended that residents open their private shelters.

8:36 p.m. The White House condemned rocket attacks against Israel that reached as far as Tel Aviv and expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself on Tuesday.

8:09 p.m. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called for the citizens of Israel to stand united as one person as Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip said they view Israelis as one collective target for their attacks.

In a statement issued shortly after a rocket was fired over central Israel, Netanyahu stressed that Israel will not tolerate rocket fire into its cities. The prime minister instructed the IDF to broaden its military operation on terrorists in the Gaza Strip in light of the day's events.

7:57: p.m. Following Gaza rocket fire over central Israel, the Home Front Command instructed the Tel Aviv Municipality to open public bomb shelters in the city.

7:30 p.m. Two terrorists attempt a landing on Zikim beach near Gaza and exchange fire with IDF forces, two terrorists were killed while IDF forces pursued a third gunman.

7:04 p.m. Code Red sounded in Tel Aviv for the first time since Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012. Iron Dome intercepted the rocket south of Tel Aviv.

6:55 p.m. Sde Dov airport in Tel Aviv halted flight take offs due to the situation in the South. The airport remained open to landings.

6:50 p.m. 130 rockets have been launched at Israel in the last 24 hours with 7 interceptions by Iron Dome batteries since midnight.

6:30 p.m. An Iron Dome battery intercepted a rocket over Gedera after a Code Red siren was sounded.

6:17 p.m. Israel narrowed its civilian air corridor on Tuesday and said takeoffs and landings at Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv may be delayed by its Gaza air offensive.

The Airports Authority said no flights had been canceled at Ben-Gurion, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Gaza, as result of the hostilities, but takeoffs had been diverted to the east and landings to the north of the airport.

6:15 p.m. Iron Dome intercepted a rocket over Ashkelon after a code red rocket alert siren was sounded in the area.

6:06 p.m. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri accused Israel of perpetrating “massacres” against women and children in Khan Yunis.

Referring to an Israel Air Force bombing of a house belonging to a Hamas operative, Abu Zuhri said: “The Khan Yunis massacre against women and children is an ugly war crime. All Israelis have now become legitimate targets.”

5:58 p.m. The IDF has begun actively calling up the 40,000 reserves approved to it by the cabinet for Operation Protective Edge.The IDF has already begun issuing reserve notices.

5:32 p.m. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Israel has the right to defend its citizens from rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. He urged parties to prevent a military confrontation from spiraling out of control. 

Amid the escalation of tensions in the South, Steinmeier warned that the continuous rocket attacks on Israel would lead to a "situations that threatens to propel the vortex of violence and backlash against violence."

4:56 p.m. The Tel Aviv Municipality was preparing on Tuesday to inspect and open public bomb shelters in the city in order to "provide an optimal response for residents if necessary" in the event that escalations in the South reach the Center.

The Home Front Command also instructed Tel Aviv residents top prepare for utilizing protected rooms and shelters in their private homes.

4:05 p.m. Following a Code Red in Ashkelon, an Iron Dome battery intercepted two rockets over the city.

Two more rockets landed in open fields in the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damages were reported. Code Red sirens were also heard over Sha'ar Hanegev and Ashkelon with a rocket exploding in an open area of Sdot HaNegev.

3:52 p.m. The air force struck three homes in Gaza used by Hamas as command and control centers for enabling rocket fire against Israel.

The homes belonged to Hamas members Muhammad Sba'at, a senior member of Hamas's rocket launching formations in Beit Hanount, who was involved in several recent rocket attacks against Israel, Amin Ibrahim Al-Alba'an, a Hamas member, and Abu Jarad, a Hamas member from northern Gaza who has been engage d in terrorism against Israel.

Palestinians said six were killed and about 25 wounded in one of the houses attacked.

3:43 p.m. IDF chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz requested the call-up of 40,000 reserves in order to replace conscripted forces in the West Bank, and enable their deployment to the Gaza border. The Prime Minister's Office would not confirm reports that the security cabinet approved the request.

2:59 p.m. In a joint IDF-Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) operation, the air force struck a vehicle containing a commander of Hamas's naval commando unit, Muhammad Sa'aban, aged 24 on Tuesday.

Palestinian media reported that four Hamas people in total were killed in the targeted strike on the vehicle.

2:55 p.m. Israel Nature and Parks Authority is providing free entrance to parks for southern residents living near Gaza for the next week.

2:50 p.m. Due to the situation in the South, the Israel Electric Corporation said on Tuesday it would refrain from disconnecting people in the area who have not paid their bills.

2:40 p.m. Code Red rocket alert siren sounds in Beersheba. One rocket was intercepted by Iron Dome. A second rocket exploded in an open area outside the city.

2:19 p.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens sound in Ashdod.

2:12 p.m. France's foreign ministry urges Israel and Palestinians in Gaza to show restraint.

2:07 p.m. A Gaza man affiliated with Hamas's Kassam Brigades was killed Tuesday during Israeli air strikes, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reports.

Ma'an says that an additional 30 Palestinians in Gaza were injured in IAF air strikes.

2:04 p.m. Five rockets land in open areas in Eshkol Regional Council.

1:44 p.m. Since midnight Tuesday, 22 Palestinian rockets exploded in Israel. The Iron Dome anti-rocket system intercepted four rockets. The IDF has struck 90 targets in Gaza, including homes used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad members, underground rocket launchers, underground attack tunnels, remote rocket launch infrastructure, training camps, and additional centers of terrorist activities.

1:16 p.m. Magen David Adom paramedics report that between 7:00 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday nine people were treated in Israel for minor injuries and anxiety as a result of the security situation in the south. 

MDA said it is operating its emergency call centers in the southern and central regions from within bomb shelters.  

1:15 p.m. The Israel Air Force and Shin Bet directed an air strike at the home of senior Hamas member Abdul Rahman Juda in Rafah on Tuesday.

The home was used as command and control center, security forces said.

The air force has bombed 40 targets in Gaza in recent hours.

12:40 p.m. After high level security deliberations Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decides to expand the military operation in Gaza including beginning preparations for a ground operation.

12:20 p.m. The Iron Dome rocket defense system intercepts a rocket over Ashkelon.

12:15 p.m. Following instructions from the IDF's Home Front Command, Israel Railways suspends train service between the Ashkelon and Sderot stations.

Ashkelon will temporarily serve as the terminal station for the line, Israel Railways says.

11:51 a.m. Code Red rocket alert sirens sounded in the town of Netivot, and in the Sha'ar Hanegev and Sdot Negev Regional Councils on Tuesday morning.

11:40 a.m. Israel Air Force strikes on Gaza on Monday night and Tuesday morning injured 17 Palestinians, AFP reported.

The injured include seven children and two women, according to the report. Two of the injured were in serious condition, Palestinian medics say.

11:12 a.m. Ahead of military consultations, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu says that the time has come to "take off the gloves" against Hamas.

"Hamas chose to escalate the situation and it will pay a heavy price for doing so," the prime minister said.

10:55 a.m. Islamic Jihad in Gaza claims responsibility for the rocket fire on Ashdod.

10:50 a.m. The Iron Dome rocket defense system intercepts four rockets over Ashdod.

10:38 a.m. A slew of Code Red alert sirens are heard in the Ashkelon and Ashdod areas in recent minutes.

10:16 a.m.  Iron Dome successfully intercepts rocket over Ashkelon.

10:05 a.m. Code Red Rocket alert alarm sounds in Ashdod, Ashkelon and other areas near Gaza.

9:30 a.m. Ron Prosor, Israel's Ambassador to the UN sends a strongly worded letter of complaint to the UN Security Council amid the rocket attacks from Gaza on southern Israel. 

"Hamas is firing on millions of Israeli citizens indiscriminately. In one hour over 65 rockets were fired," he said.

"Israel's leadership is obligated to stop the firing and the acts of terror against its citizens. This is the duty of every responsible government," he added.

Prosor said the Security Council had the duty to condemn Hamas and the terror against Israel and to call for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to dismantle the unity government with Hamas.    

8:30 a.m. A Code Red rocket alert siren sounds in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council.

4:30 a.m. "We are entering into a long operation," a senior IDF source says. "We are only at the start. Patience is required. We are preparing further steps and a gradual expansion of our order of battle," the source adds, referring to a growing presence of Ground Forces deployed to the Gaza Border.

12:30 a.m. The IDF strikes 50 targets throughout the Gaza Strip late Monday (7.7.)  night and early on Tuesday, marking the start of Operation Protective Edge.