VIDEO - The residents of Sderot and Ashkelon woke up Wednesday to a continuing rocket barrage, as at least 30 Qassam rockets were fired from northern Gaza towards the two cities. Several people suffered from shock. Wednesday's salvo followed the 41 rockets fired at the western Negev Tuesday. At least 12 Qassams were fired at Sderot, 11 more at Ashkelon and several at the Eshkol regional council, within an hour. Most of the rockets landed in open areas, but a loud explosion was heard coming form Ashkelon's industrial area and security forces were trying to locate its origin. Video: Infolive.tv One of the rockets landed in Kibbutz Zikim, south of Ashkelon. There were no reports of injuries, but some of the kibbutz hothouses were damaged. A worker at Ashkelon's southern industrial zone told Ynet, "We ran to the fortified rooms every few minutes, we heard the explosions around us, and it was terrifying. Now it has quieted down, but it's still very tense." The Sderot Parents' Committee said that the IDF was wrong to order that the city's schools be kept open. According to the parents, some of the schools do not contain enough fortified classrooms. David Bitan, commander of the police's Lachish district, held an evaluation of the situation on Wednesday morning and decided to continue the deployment of large police and Border Guard forces in the area. Additional forces are on standby in case of further rocket attacks. Magen David Adom rescue services are also on high alert, and dozens of ambulances arrived at the Sderot area. Tuesday's rockets resulted in the injury of four people, including a five-year old girl, suffering mostly mild injuries. Hamas: We'll continue to bomb Ashkelon The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, claimed responsibility for the shooting. Hamas members took the streets of Gaza City on Wednesday morning, reporting at the mosques and through megaphones attached to their cars that their men were bombing Sderot and Ashkelon. The organization members said that the rocket fire completely paralyzed life in Sderot, causing the Zionists to use bomb shelters. Members of Hamas' military wing said that the rocket fire would continue in response to the IDF's activity in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has escalated the rocket fire over the past 24 hours, following IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in 19 dead Palestinians militants, including the son of senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Zahar. Early Tuesday morning, Palestinian snipers shot and killed Carlos Andres Chavez, a 20-year-old volunteer from Ecuador, as he was working in the fields of the Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, located near the coastal territory. IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said Tuesday evening that the army may further expand its operations in the Gaza Strip. "Our best commanders and soldiers are engaged in real fighting in the Strip... we will continue to operate in the Strip in order to minimize the Qassam fire," said Ashkenazi. Ali Waked contributed to this report