A second Grad rocket has exploded in the Sdot Negev area, exploding in an open area and causing no injuries or damage. An earlier rocket hit an Ashkelon commercial area, and one person is being treated at Barzilai Hospital for shrapnel wounds in the head. His condition was described as moderate, and several others are being treated for shock.

The attacks occurred within an hour after Hamas announced that an agreement is near for a "calm" in the attacks, and Israel is to agree to stop targeting Gaza-based terrorists. However, Hamas has not given a final answer to the proposal, and Israel has insisted that any agreement must include a halt to smuggling of weapons and explosives in Gaza, which has been continuing for years and which increased after the IDF withdrawal from the Gaza area three years ago.