Ten rockets were fired from Gaza at southern Israel since Wednesday night, landing in open fields in the western Negev. No injuries or damage were reported in any of the attacks.

Four of the rockets landed within Eshkol Regional Council limits, three fell in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council and one landed south of the town of Netivot – a location scarcely targeted by the Palestinians. 

Two rockets landed outside Ashkelon as well: One rocket landed in the city's industrial zone on Thursday afternoon, shortly after a siren sounded in the area.

Wednesday night saw the city's residents awake to the sound of the Color Red alert near 3:30 am: "I woke up to the sound of two distant blasts. It's quite unpleasant waking up hearing the alarm," Haim Geva, one of the residents, told Ynet.

More than 30 Qassam rockets landed in Israel on Wednesday, indicating that the perceived calm that has recently set in the region was deceptive.

Three Israeli soldiers were killed in a clash with a terror cell in Gaza Wednesday, and 18 Palestinians were killed in consequent IDF strikes.

The police have raised their alert level to the maximum on Wednesday ahead of the Passover holiday this weekend. The state of alert will remain high throughout May, until after Independence Day celebrations.