Seven mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip at the western Negev and Gaza vicinity communities on Friday afternoon. Three of the mortars hit open areas in the Eshkol Regional Council, and the other four – fired an hour later – landed in open areas in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

The Popular Resistance Committee’s Salah al-Din Brigades claimed responsibility for the mortar fire, saying it was a response to recent assassinations in Gaza.

A Grad rocket fired from Gaza on Thursday night exploded in an open area in the Merhavim Regional Council, near the southern town of Ofakim. Three cows were injured and a cattle-shed sustained damage.

This was the first Grad rocket to be fired from the Gaza Strip since July, and the first to hit the Ofakim area since Operation Cast Lead.

On Thursday evening, a Qassam rocket exploded in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council. At around 4:30 am, Palestinians fired another Qassam, this time at the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council. A blast was heard in the area, although the rocket landed near the Palestinian side of the border fence. There were no reports of injuries or damage in both incidents.

The escalation in the south follows the assassination of two senior members of the al-Qaeda affiliated Army of Islam group by the Israel Defense Forces earlier this month.

Abu Mujahed, a PRC spokesman in Gaza, said that “the firing by Palestinian organizations from the Gaza Strip is part of our right to respond to the Israeli crimes and the recent assassinations.”

According to Abu Mujahed, “The rocket fire is a response to the crimes against our people. it is clear to us that today Army of Islam members are being hurt, and tomorrow it will be us and then another organization.”

A source affiliated with Army of Islam noted that the group members had gone into hiding, fearing for their safety. The source told the London-based Arabic-language al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper that the activists were taking strict precautions, were not seen in public, and avoided using any communication devices for fear of being followed.

(Read More: Ynet News)