A rocket fired from Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip hit a factory in the Sderot industrial area on Saturday, causing it to catch on fire.
A second rocket fell in an open area near Sderot. In a second attack later in the evening, two additional rockets hit open areas in the Sdot Negev Regional Council.
No one was hurt from any of the rockets, but the factory was burned to the ground.
Four workers who were inside the factory when the rocket hit managed to escape. Two of them, 23 and 59 years old, were taken to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon suffering from light burns.
The fire in the factory led to smaller explosions inside the factory, caused by paint canisters that caught on fire.
Explosion inside Sderot factory hit by rocket
(צילום: רועי עידן)
After about two hours, firefighters managed to put the fire out completely, and then began assessing the damage caused to the factory.
Fire breaks out in Sderot factory hit by rocket
Earlier, a Code Red siren was sounded in Sderot and in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. A 50-years-old man suffered blast injuries after tripping on his way to a safe room at the sound of the Code Red siren, and was taken to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.
"The city's residents are not deterred by the heinous and cowardly actions of terrorists who are firing rockets from Gaza towards civilian populations," Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi said. "We stand strong in order to give the prime minister, defense minister and the IDF full backing in the operation to bring the boys back home and restore order."
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Sderot factory on fire after being hit by Gaza rocket (Photo: Roee Idan)
(צילום: רועי עידן)
On Friday evening, six rockets were fired into from Gaza into Israeli territory and a mortar shell exploded near the border fence between Gaza and Israel. Two of the rockets fired were shot down by the Iron Dome anti missile system while the other four fell in open areas in the Eshkol Regional Council. No damage or injuries were reported as a result of the rockets or mortar fire.
The Israeli Air Force attacked four terror targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Friday in response. IAF aircrafts struck two terror activity sites, a weapon manufacturing site in the central Gaza Strip and a weapons storage site in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF said. Direct hits were confirmed on all targets.
IAF strikes Gaza targets
(צילום: דובר צה"ל)
Just hours before the rocket attacks on Friday, the IAF launched an attack on a civilian vehicle killing Muhammad al-Fasih, 24, from Gaza City, and Usama al-Hassumi, 29, from Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. Both were senior members of Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees and supposedly connected to an increase in rocket attacks over the last two weeks since the IDF began Operation Brother's Keeper searching for three abducted Israeli teens in the West Bank.
On Friday morning, a military vehicle was lightly damaged by an explosive device near the Gazan border fence. IDF tanks responded with fire on suspected militant positions.
Protests in Umm al-Fahm also brought clashes between police and Palestinians Friday as several hundred took to the streets against IDF actions in the West Bank.
Reuters contributed to this report.
First published: 20:10, 06.28.14