Palestinian rocket attack kills Israeli woman

A coordinated Palestinian attack of four Qassam rockets and more than 20 mortar shells took place around 6 p.m. IST (+3 UTC). The weapons were fired at the Israeli collective farms of Netiv Ha'asara and Nahal Oz, as well as other villages and military bases across the Gaza Strip border.

A 22-year-old woman, Dana Galkovitz, was killed when her home suffered a direct hit by one of the rockets. One person was lightly injured and three others were treated for anxiety.

The Islamic Jihad and the Fatah both claimed resposibitily for the attack. However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claim that the attack was carried out by the Hamas. "The Hamas has revealed its true face, from now on we will act against it freely", an IDF source said.

According to Palestinan militants, the attack avenges the killing of a militant leader by the IDF in Nablus, in the aftermath of Tuesday's suicide attack on the city of Netanya.

This attack is a further blow to the fragile cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has been in place since February this year.

During the past 4 years, thousands of mortar shells and rockets have been fired on Israeli towns and villages by Palestinian militant organizations.