A woman's home life disrupted by Kassams
A woman's home life disrupted by KassamsIsrael news photo: Flash90

Palestinian Authority terrorists launched a barrage of Kassam rockets at Sderot and Ashkelon on Monday morning as IDF soldiers continued operations to put an end to attacks against Jewish communities in southern Israel.

Several barrages of Kassam rockets exploded in Sderot early Monday morning, and again at approximately 11:00 a.m.  By 12:00 noon, eight rockets had landed in the western Negev.

Two rockets slammed into areas within the Sderot city limits in late morning, leaving several victims severely traumatized. One of the rockets exploded close to a school in a residential neighborhood. The second scored a direct hit on a house. The damage has not yet been assessed. Magen David Adom paramedics treated the victims for emotional shock. There were no physical injuries reported in the attacks.

Two rockets slammed into the Ashkelon Coastal Regional Council area in mid-morning. Terrorists also shelled kibbutzim in the Eshkol Regional Council area. A number of buildings were damaged but no one was injured.

Seven mortar shells exploded in fields around the Kerem Shalom Crossing area as well.

The day began with residents in Sderot and other Gaza Belt communities forced to race for the safe rooms and bomb shelters as children were arriving at school and parents were on the way to work.

Three rocket attacks were fired at approximately 7:45 a.m. One of the missiles exploded in an open field near Sderot. Two other rockets landed in open areas in the Sha'ar HaNegev region. No one was injured in these attacks, and no property was damaged.

IDF Denies Hamas Claims Army Killed Mother, Children

Several of the Kassams were fired at Sderot after the IDF attacked rocket-launching terrorist cells in northern Gaza.

Hamas claims that Israeli soldiers killed a mother and four of her children during an attack on terrorists in Beit Hanoun. The IDF issued a statement officially denying the charge, saying the family was most likely killed when explosives inside the home were detonated by accident.

An IDF soldier from the Givati Brigade was lightly wounded in the heavy clashes that began in northern Gaza early Monday morning. He was evacuated to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva.

Israeli counterterrorism operations in northern Gaza continued Monday afternoon as Hamas vowed to escalate its attacks on Jewish civilians in the western Negev.