August 20, 2011

TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- An Israeli man was killed and at least four people were seriously wounded Saturday evening by rockets fired from Gaza, Israeli media reported.

The Popular Resistance Committee's military wing claimed responsibility for the attack on Beersheva, where a total of seven projectiles landed.

The An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades said it fired two Grad missiles at the Negev capital in an operation it has called "Free people's campaign to take revenge for the dutiful leaders."

Israel blames the PRC for deadly attacks near Eilat on Thursday and has killed seven of its men in strikes since then. The group denies responsibility although it has welcomed the Eilat attacks.

Since the attacks in Eilat, which left eight Israelis dead, warplanes have bombarded the Gaza Strip killing 14 Palestinians and wounding dozens more.

Factions in Gaza responded with a barrage of rocket fire and the armed wing of Hamas called off a ceasefire with Israel, Al-Aqsa Radio reported late Friday.

On Saturday evening, the Al-Qassam Brigades said it had fired four Grad rockets at the Israeli town of Ofakim, where officials earlier reported two children had been lightly wounded.

"We fired four Grad rockets at the Zionist town of Ofakim," some 15 kilometers from the Gaza Strip, said a statement from the brigades.

"This is our response to the crimes of the Zionist occupation after the deaths of 15 of our martyrs and dozens of injured" in Gaza.

World powers trying to broker peace in the Middle East meanwhile warned there is a "risk of escalation" after three days of fighting over Gaza, and urged key players in the region to hit the brakes.

"The Quartet remains concerned about the unsustainable situation in Gaza as well as the risk of escalation, and calls for restraint from all sides," read a statement agreed by the EU, the Palestinians' largest aid donor, Russia, the UN and the US.

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