Palestinians fired three home-made Qassam rockets on Thursday night, one of which landed in the Israeli southern town of Sderot, according to Israeli police.
No injuries were reported in the attack, which took place shortly after 22:00 pm (1900GMT), although some damage was caused. Two Qassam rockets landed in a small town near Sderot, causing no injuries.
Earlier Thursday, Palestinians fired fifteen mortar shells at the Gush Katif settlement bloc in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media.
Several houses and a few cars were reported damaged in the strike. There were no reports on casualties.
The Palestinian attacks came after a top Hamas leader, Ismaeel Abu Shanab and his two bodyguards were assassinated by Israeli missiles as they drove through Gaza City.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades called off their June 29 cease-fire after Abu Shanab was killed.
Hours after the air strike, tens of thousands of Hamas supporters took to the streets of Gaza City and threatened to avenge the killing, with one rally leader warning Israelis to prepare body bags for the dead.
"Today we are going to blow up the so-called cease-fire and to turn our words into bullets that will hit the Zionists in every corner in our occupied land!" a speaker told the crowd, according to news agencies.
"We advise the leaders of the so-called Israel to prepare plastic bags to collect the remains of the victims... of our coming strong retaliation," a voice from a loudspeaker said.
"The assassination of Abu Shanab... means that the Zionist enemy has assassinated the truce, and the Hamas movement holds the Zionist enemy fully responsible for the consequences of its crime," Hamas official Ismail Haniyah told reporters in Gaza. "We consider ourselves no longer bound by this cease-fire."
Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin said his organization would take revenge for the assassination. "This [assassination] crosses all red lines," Yassin said. Addressing the Israelis, he said: "You will pay the price for these crimes."
Following the strike, Haniyah called on Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to resign and leave the Palestinian territories if he wanted to end the intifada or wished to extend the temporary cease-fire.
Meanwhile, Israeli army officials said Thursday that
the military operations taking place in West Bank cities would last for a period of three to four weeks. (Albawaba.com)
