Six adults and four children were taken to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva after suffering from anxiety following the explosion, the hospital spokeswoman said.
The attack was the first of its kind since the conclusion of Operation Cast Lead in early 2009. It follows a steady trend of escalation of terrorism in Gaza. During Cast Lead terrorists hit Be'er Sheva seven times, causing injuries and massive damage to property.
In response to the attack on Be'er Sheva, the IAF targeted a terrorist squad in the Northern Gaza Strip a short time after the attack, in the same location from where the rockets had been fired towards. A direct hit was confirmed.
The IDF noted that it "will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians or IDF soldiers, and will continue to respond harshly to terror. The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for maintaining the calm in the Gaza Strip and for any terrorist activity emanating from it."
On Wednesday morning Gaza terrorists fired five mortar shells at soldiers and civilians in the Negev. The IDF responded by , injuring them. One of the terrorists later died of his injuries.
While Hamas initially claimed that the wounded terrorists were in fact civilians collecting building material, the deceased man has been claimed by Islamic Jihad as a member of the terrorist group.
Terrorists in Gaza have been escalating their attacks on Israel for several months. In November, terrorists for the first time since Cast Lead; continued in January. Terrorists also began using .
In early January, terrorists fired on , hitting greenhouses near the city.
