Gaza Rocket Fire Kills Three Israelis

Three people have been killed in southern Israel by rockets fired from Gaza, amid escalating violence.

It marks the first Israeli fatalities since militants fired into Israel after it killed Hamas’ military commander in an air strike on Wednesday.

Eleven Palestinians – mainly militants but also children – have been killed in the ensuing Israeli operation. More than 50 rockets hit Israel overnight.

The Israelis were killed in a strike on a house in the town of Kiryat Malachi.

The rocket hit a four-storey building, injuring two other people, Israeli officials say.

Kiryat Malachi lies about 25km (15 miles) north of Gaza.

The violence picked up after a relatively quiet night, the BBC’s Jon Donnison in Gaza City says.

He says vapour trails from rockets being fired by Palestinian militants can be seen, and intermittently large mushrooms of smoke appear from Israeli air strikes.

But so far the violence does not appear on the same scale as the last Gaza war almost four years ago when hundreds of Palestinians were killed on the first day of Israel’s operation, our correspondent adds. Thirteen Israelis also died in that conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier warned that his country was prepared to extend its operation against Hamas.

BBC