The massive barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday around noon resulted in a direct hit on a high school in Ashkelon, but luckily no injuries were reported due to school being canceled for the day due to the recent escalation.
According to Israeli media reports, at least 40 rockets were fired in the span of about 30 minutes toward the southern part of the coastal plains, targeting the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. This was apparently in response to the assassination of Hamas officials earlier in the day in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza city.
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Hamas later boasted that it had fired "137 rockets in five minutes, our largest barrage." Shortly after the attack, the Israel Defense Forces ordered Ashkelon residents to "remain in the sheltered spaces until further notice." This is unusual since normally they only have to remain close to such areas during emergencies, should a "Red Alert" be issued ahead of an incoming projectile.
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