Rocket hits Ashkelon
Rocket hits AshkelonPolice Spokesperson

The IDF is bolstering forces near the Gaza Strip following the continued rocket fire into Israel, and is moving “Brigade 7” of the Armored Corps to the south.

Since the beginning of the escalation, 450 rockets have been fired into Israel. 150 of them were intercepted by Iron Dome systems.

IDF Spokesman Ronen Manelis said that the Air Force attacked about 200 targets, including small terrorist cells, small buildings and warehouses where advanced missiles and rockets were manufactured.

So far, eight terrorists have been killed in the Gaza Strip, and the IDF spokesperson stressed that the army was preparing for several days of fighting. According to Manelis, "Terrorist propaganda is at its best. The mother and child whom they claim in Gaza were killed in an IDF attack were killed by the use of Hamas weapons."

Moshe Agadi, 58, a father of four, was killed Saturday night when a rocket hit the porch of a house in an Ashkelon residential building.

Agadi's funeral will take place at the new cemetery in the city at 4:00 pm.

A Magen David Adom team gave Agadi medical treatment and evacuated him in critical condition to Barzilai Hospital where doctors were forced to determine his death.

Mayor of Ashkelon, Tomer Galam, arrived at the scene of the attack and said, "This is a difficult time for the city of Ashkelon, and we are all mourning, hurt and broken by the great tragedy that befell one of the oldest and most well-known families in Ashkelon."

"The municipality will provide the family with all the assistance it needs at this time and will support it as necessary. On this occasion, I would like to send my best wishes for speedy recovery and complete healing to the wounded from the last rocket barrage towards the city," added the mayor.