More than 10 Grad missiles, several Qassam and mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip between 17:00 and 20:00 hours.
Nine people were injured. The damage to property and vehicles is extensive.
Inhabitants of southern Israel within 40-kilometer radius from the Gaza Strip were ordered to stay close to fortified areas.
During the day, Israeli air force hit a Jihad Islami facility in Gaza killing its missile operations chief.
DEBKAfile reported earlier Saturday:
An Israeli air strike against a Palestinian Jihad Islami camp near Rafah, southern Gaza, Saturday Oct. 29, killed Ahmad Sheikh Halil, head of its missile engineering and production arm and foiled another planned attack. "Abu Khader ranked high in the Jihad's Al Qods unit. The Israel raid also killed five of his team members who Wednesday fired three Grad missiles from Hamas-ruled Gaza at Beer Tuvia and Gan Yavne.
Although only one Grad attack was reported, our sources report that at least three missiles were actually aimed at undisclosed towns and at least one strategic site in southern Israel. DEBKAfile's military sources calculate that this barrage was a range-finding run in preparation for a major offensive from a launching pad west of Rafah - probably against targets near Beersheba.
Those sources report that Saturday's air strike foiled this attack. The Jihad Islami's immediate response was a threat to hit back "deep inside Israel," prompting a high missile alert in central and southern Israel.
According to DEBKAfile's sources, Jihad Islami is acting on orders from Tehran and Damascus to make trouble and provoke a fresh Hamas-Israel confrontation for the purpose of derailing the deal behind the Shalit prisoner swap which provides for the transfer of Hamas' political headquarters out of the Syrian capital to Cairo and Amman.
The top-level Hamas desertion would seriously undermine Bashar Assad at a time when he needs all the help he can get against the popular uprising against him. It would also deprive Iran of a strong Palestinian asset under its control.
The Israeli-Egyptian border north of Eilat is also on terror alert against the large Jihad Islami cell standing by in Sinai for some weeks waiting for the chance for a multiple-casualty-cum-abduction attack.
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