Militant groups in the Gaza Strip have struck southern Israel with a barrage of rockets in a significant escalation of tensions in recent days that has also included multiple Israeli air strikes.
By mid-morning on Monday 14 rockets were reported to have been fired, all except one landing in open areas. One rocket struck a building but no injuries were caused.
Although groups in Gaza other than Hamas have been largely blamed for launching the rockets. A Palestinian health official, Ashraf al-Kidra, said a man killed by Israeli fire in Gaza on Sunday was a member of Hamas' armed wing. Three Palestinians have been killed in air strikes since Friday.
The Israeli military says it is the highest level of rocket fire since Operation Pillar of Defence – an eight-day operation by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) against Hamas – in 2012.
Palestinian groups in Gaza and the Israeli air force have been engaged in daily attack in recent days.
The latest rockets followed a strike on Sunday night that killed one Palestinian, reportedly as he was preparing to fire a missile, and three others. There were 12 Israeli air strikes on Gaza the previous night.
On Saturday evening one rocket hit a plastics factory in Sderot setting it on fire.
On Sunday the Israeli prime minister warned that Israel was "ready to expand" its military operation, adding that "the Palestinian Authority … responsible for preventing firing at our territory from the Gaza Strip
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