Repeated raids on Rafah and Gaza City, have killed seven people. In the early hours of the morning, Palestinian militants have launched Grad rockets at Ashqelon, Ashdod, Sderot and Beer Sheva. Eight the victims of yesterday's attacks, search for surviving members of the terrorist group.

Tel Aviv (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Israeli aircraft carried out four overnight raids on the Gaza Strip, which resulted in one dead and five wounded, Palestinian medical sources have disclosed. In one of the raids a house in the eastern part of Gaza City was targeted and a teenager was killed. An initial Israeli air raid yesterday caused six deaths in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, four of them militants of the Military Resistance Committees, including the head of the organization, Kamal al Nayrab. In the early hours of the morning, two "Grad" rockets were launched from Gaza hitting the coastal city of Ashdod, wounding two civilians, one of them seriously.

In Israel in the last few hours, Negev has been subject to repeated Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza. In the city of Ashqelon, Ashdod, Beer Sheva, and Sderot the alarm bells ringing repeatedly and each time the population should seek shelter. So far, Palestinian militants have fired a dozen rockets at Ashdod causing material damage to some buildings, including a synagogue. Added to this death toll, an officer and two security agents mistakenly hit at the Egyptian border by an Israeli helicopter.

This new surge of violence began yesterday, when a group of terrorists launched a series of attacks against civilian buses and cars near Eilat, in an area very close to the border with Egypt. The attacks killed at least eight casualties among the Israelis. Even seven terrorists were killed in a gun battle with Israeli security forces who launched an offensive. According to the Israeli authorities, the terrorists came from Gaza and entered Israel through the Egyptian Sinai. Israel is increasingly convinced that since the fall of Mubarak border control is greatly diminished.

In the Negev, north of Eilat, the search continues for members of terrorist commandos who may still be on the ground waiting to relaunch attacks. Checkpoints have been set up and there is a strengthened military presence. The Israeli police are also deployed in force in East Jerusalem to deal with any protests that may be staged by the Muslim faithful at the end of Friday prayers of Ramadan and the Temple Mount. Hamas has denied responsibility for yesterday’s terrorist attacks . Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, said: "We warn Israel not to launch an offensive or impose collective punishment on Gaza's civilian population."

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