Post by Salem6 on Dec 31, 2008 11:38:59 GMT
Long-range rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have landed in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, some 46km (28 miles) away.
Police said 860,000 Israelis were now in range of rockets fired from Gaza
No injuries or damage were reported after the rockets hit an empty school and fields in the city's north.
Correspondents say it is the furthest the Palestinian militants in Gaza have managed to strike.
The attacks came as Israel renewed its air strikes on Gaza for a fifth day, amid growing pressure for a ceasefire.
Two rockets also hit the nearby city of Ashkelon on Wednesday, injuring one person slightly.
It is not known exactly what rockets Hamas and other groups in Gaza have
Israel says Hamas used the six-month truce to boost its arsenal through smuggling tunnels
Grad-style missiles have reached Ashkelon since 2006
Recent strikes in Ashdod could be Iranian-made Oghab, Fajr-3 or Ra'ad missiles
Four Israelis have been killed by rocket fire from Gaza since the Israeli offensive began on Saturday. Palestinian officials say about 374 Palestinians have died, including at least 62 civilians.
Following the attack on Beersheba, an Israeli police spokesman said 860,000 Israelis - more than a tenth of the population - were now in range of Hamas rockets.
The BBC's Mike Sergeant in Jerusalem says that will only increase Israeli public support for continued military action.
Hamas's military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, says it plans to fire at Israeli targets that are even further away as long as the attacks on Gaza continue.
The Israeli air strikes began less than a week after the expiry of a six-month-long ceasefire deal with Hamas, which controls Gaza.
Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but has kept tight control over access in and out of Gaza and its airspace.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7805834.stm