IDF soldiers killed one terrorist and wounded three others early Tuesday in clashes during routine counterterrorism operations near the northern Gaza town of Jabalya.
Local sources said the gunmen were members of the Popular Resistance Committees' Salah al-Din Brigades terrorist organization. IDF troops returned to base unscathed.
Even as terrorists were testing Israel's patience in the south, the Home Front Command was testing Israel's civilian population's ability to react under pressure and its readiness to respond in time of war.
Tuesday marked Day 3 of the five-day security drill designed to test the lessons learned as a result of the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
Rocket Attack on Sderot
While the rest of the country was practicing how to respond to air raid sirens and how find the nearest safe room, people in Sderot and other Gaza Belt communities were once again forced to carry out the exercise for real.
Terrorists in northern Gaza launched a rocket attack at Sderot early in the afternoon, setting off the Color Red rocket alert siren.
Sderot residents had 20 seconds in which to race for cover before the missiles hit ground. Two rockets slammed into areas on the outskirts of the city. A third missile exploded near the Erez Crossing.
No one was hurt and no injuries were reported in either of the attacks.
Attack Near Nachal Oz
PA operatives fired a mortar shell at IDF soldiers near the Jewish community of Nachal Oz in the western Negev. The soldiers also exchanged gunfire with the terrorists.
No injuries were reported in the clash.