Defense officials told Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal Wednesday that the rocket fire at town is expected to continue and even escalate further. Moyal convened with senior IDF officials, including Southern Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Yoav Galant, following a day of heavy barrages at the western Negev.

"They foresee an escalation," Moyal told Ynet. "They don't know when and how this campaign will end."

Municipality workers and defense officials met at City Hall to discuss ways to deal with the ongoing attacks on town, as mental health services, social workers and emergency teams remained on high alert.

In the meantime, the education system in Sderot continued to operate as usual, although a quarter of local students opted not to attend school Wednesday due to the rocket threat.

Several dozen teens were evacuated from town to a guest house near Jerusalem earlier in the day, an initiative sponsored by millionaire Arcadi Gaydamak.

According to Moyal, the residents' response to the latest offensive was different than in previous times. "I noticed a different behavior pattern, and I think this can be attributed to the fact that this time, unlike in the past… it appears that the IDF is operating seriously."