Two dead as rocket strikes Ashkelon factory

Two Israelis were killed and a third wounded as a rocket hit a factory in Ashkelon.

By World Israel News Staff

Two Israelis were killed and a third wounded in the wake of a rocket’s direct hit on a factory in Ashkelon, an Israeli city about six miles north of the Gaza Strip.

Magen David Adom, Israel’s equivalent of the Red Cross, treated the three at the scene, who were initially all described as wounded.

The wounded were rushed to Barzilai Medical Center, where they were later pronounced dead. The two, a 40-year-old man and 22-year-old man, died from shrapnel wounds.

A 50-year-old man is being treated for moderate injuries “to his upper body and extremities,” according to MDA.

Although many rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, according to the Israel Defense Forces, several of the 450-plus rockets fired at Israel since Friday night have hit civilian areas, killing one Israeli in Ashkelon and wounding nine as of Sunday morning.

Israel has struck over 220 Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in response. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a Sunday morning Cabinet meeting, called on the Israeli Air Force to continue its “massive” retaliation.