Children run for shelter in Sderot
Children run for shelter in SderotIsrael news photo: Flash 90

Gaza terrorists fired 18 rockets at southern Israel Monday, with the armed wing of the ruling Hamas movement saying it was revenge after an IAF air raid killed one of their men.

"At least 18 rockets were fired at Israeli territory, without causing injuries or damage," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP, saying the count was from midnight.

Monday's barrage of rocket fire followed hot on the heels of two late-night Israeli air strikes which did not cause any injuries, Arab sources said.

Although Hamas's Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades did not say how many rockets it had fired, it named at least five locations in southern Israel where it claimed it had targeted "military sites" – Sufa, Kissufim, Beeri, Yad Mordechai and Nahal Oz. All five locations are civilian communities. No casualties or damage were reported.

The terror group also posted a grainy video on their website which appeared to show terrorist launching nine rockets in the early morning.

"This shelling was in response to the continuous Zionist bombing and terrorizing of peaceful citizens, which most recently killed Suleiman Kamel al-Qara, as well as in response to the repeated incursions and attacks carried out by the occupation," the group said referring to one of its own terrorists.