Israel: 10 militants killed in Gaza

JERUSALEM, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip Saturday killed 10 Islamic Jihad members, the military said, and rocket fire into southern Israel killed a civilian.

The Jerusalem Post reported the Israeli military said it struck four targets.

The Post said rockets fired into southern Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza strip killed Ami Moshe, 56, of Ashkelon, who was on his way home to his family and ran from his vehicle for cover but was fatally wounded by shrapnel from a rocket.

Four others were wounded and numerous buildings, including a school, were heavily damaged in a barrage of 35 projectiles, including Grad rockets and mortar shells, fired into at Ashdod, Ashkelon and other areas.

"This was a miracle, it could have been much worse," said Eli Bin, director general of Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency service.

The Israeli military said it targeted a terror cell in southern Gaza, a terrorist planning a rocket strike and two rocket-launch sites in northern Gaza.

"Hamas is responsible for what takes place in Gaza," the army said.

The terror cell had fired an unprovoked Grad rocket into Rehovot last week, Israeli army sources said.

A local TV station reported Islamic Jihad's Quds Brigades called the first wave of rockets its "initial response" to the strike on its rocket cell and said "the enemy should expect the worst in the coming hours."

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who was in Bosnia-Herzegovina Saturday, warned of "serious consequences in the coming days" if the rocket fire is not stopped.

"We are not seeking violence with the Palestinians and we do not want to 'heat up' the situation, but we won't suffer one rocket barrage after another without a response," Lieberman said.

A spokesman for Robert Serry, the United Nations' special envoy for the Middle East peace process, said in a statement the attacks "are very worrying.

"It's vital to deescalate now, without any delay," the spokesman said. "We strongly appeal for calm and an end to violence and bloodshed."