PM Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Kochavi
PM Netanyahu and Chief of Staff KochaviFlash 90

The Security Cabinet convened at the Kirya in Tel Aviv Tuesday morning in light of the escalation in the security situation.

At 10:30 am, Prime Minister Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi are to deliver a special address.

A barrage of rockets was fired toward southern Israel on Tuesday morning following the elimination of senior Islamic Jihad leader Baha Abu Al Ata.

At about 6:00 a.m., sirens were heard in the city of Ashdod, Gedera and moshavim in the Lachish region. Subsequent sirens were also activated in the city of Ashkelon, in Kibbutz Zikim and in Sderot.

An hour later, sirens were heard in the Gush Dan district in central Israel, including Tel Aviv, Holon, and Rishon Lezion.

A house in Sderot took a direct hit from a rocket launched at the city from Gaza Tuesday morning.

Nobody was harmed in the incident.

A spokesperson for Ashkelon's Barzilai Hospital said that 3 people in Ashkelon had been injured from the rocket attacks - 2 who suffered from shock and 1 who was lightly injured as he fell while running to a bomb shelter.

Magen David Adom paramedics treated a 45-year-old man for anxiety and an 18-year-old female who suffered light injuries while running to a protected space. They were evacuated to the Assuta Hospital in Ashdod.

Following the elimination of Abu Al Ata, classes in the Gaza envelope, including in Be'er Sheva, have been canceled by the Home Front Command.

The IDF said it would increase its forces and prepare for a wide range of offensive and defensive scenarios. The Home Front Command's instructions should be obeyed as needed.

In addition, Israel Railways announced that service between Ashkelon and Be’er Sheva has been temporarily suspended.

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories announced the closure of the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings to Gaza, as well as the reduction of the fishing zone in the Gaza Strip.