Photo Credit: Yossi Zeliger/Flash90
A volunteer clearing the apartment in Kiryat Malachi where three Israeli civilians were killed on Thursday.

At 1:37 PM (6:37 AM Eastern) two missiles hit Tel Aviv. No injuries or damage were reported. The rockets fall in open areas.

More than 450 rockets were fired from Gaza on Israeli towns and villages since the assassination of the commander of the Hamas military wing, Ahmed Jabari, including dozens of rockets that landed today (Friday), the third day of operation “Pillar of Defense,” even while the Prime Minister of Egypt was visiting the Gaza Strip .

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Throughout Friday morning dozens of rockets were fired at Be’er Sheva, Ashdod, and Ashkelon. Some of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. Another volley was fired at communities in the regional councils of Ashkelon Coast, Eshkol and Merchavim, situated alongside the Gaza Strip border. Around 9:45 AM a rocket was fired at Kiryat Gat, some 25 miles from the border, but it fell in an open area without causing casualties or damage.

Home Front Defense Minister Avi Dichter said this morning: “We’re just at the end of the second day of fighting, the IDF moves have been very significant, hundreds of targets were attacked during the night, and, on the other hand, we’re talking about 450 rockets that have been fired from Gaza since the elimination of Jabari. I believe a resilient home front can sustain this ratio.”

“I say to ourselves, as a community, that we expect continued firing of hundreds of rockets in the coming days,” Dichter warned. “It is important to understand that the upside-down pyramid of Defense constructed by the State of Israel in the end stands on one tip – the ordinary citizen who complies with the defense guidelines. All it takes is to do the simplest thing which saves the most lives, by accessing the most protected space available, be it a shelter, a safe room , a back room, or just to lie on the floor during an attack – the state has invested billions to deliver targeted alerts, unlike in previous wars, and civilians should abide by their instructions.”

Regarding the end goal of the operation, Dichter said that “the state and the army should make it so that the hands of anyone in Gaza who wants to fire a rocket tremble – as should the hands of his commanders. It can be said that over the past few days, Israel is reshaping its deterrence capabilities in Gaza.”

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