Site of a rocket strike in Ashdod
Site of a rocket strike in AshdodArutz Sheva

Terrorists in the Gaza Strip launched a fresh barrage of rockets on central and southern Israel Tuesday afternoon, fatally wounding an Israeli civilian in his thirties near the Erez Crossing on the border with Gaza.

Hatzalah paramedics rushed to the scene and provided emergency first aid, after which the victim was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, after hospital staff attempted to revive him. The man was apparently distributing food to soldiers when he was killed by mortar fire.

One other person was lightly wounded in the same attack. 

Hamas later claimed responsibility for the death, insisting - or boasting - the man was an IDF soldier. 

"The Qassam Brigades fired five mortar rounds at military forces at the Erez base," it said. "The enemy acknowledges the death of a Zionist soldier and the injury of another in the Qassam shelling of the Erez base."

Sirens were reported in Tel Aviv and other parts of central Israel, as well as Ofakim, Ashkelon, Mizpeh Ramon and Dimona in southern Israel.

The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted several of the rockets, but it is not yet clear how many or if any others managed to reach their targets.

So far Tuesday, more than 100 rockets have been launched at Israel from Gaza. 47 of them fell in open land away from population centers, four struck inside built-up residential areas and 10 were intercepted by the Iron Dome.

It comes as the Israeli Air Force launched 30 airstrikes on terrorist targets in Gaza, after Hamas rejected ceasefire efforts and fired a salvo of rockets at Israeli civilian centers. The Israeli military held off from responding for several hours to allow Hamas time to accept the ceasefire, but on Tuesday afternoon Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gave the green light for renewed operations to stop the rocket attacks.