The Air Force took out weapons factories and warehouses in Gaza on Thursday night in response to recent rocket attacks. Strikes were carried out in northern, central, and southern Gaza. Pilots reported direct hits on two arms factories and two warehouses used to store weapons. The sites were empty at the time, and there were no casualties reported. An IDF spokesman said the strikes were carried out in response to a terrorist rocket attack on southern Israel on Thursday night. The spokesman added that the IDF sees Hamas as bearing responsibility for all attacks from Gaza. Gaza terrorists fired a rocket at the Ashkelon area on Thursday night. The attack did not cause injury. Terrorists have greatly increased the frequency of their attacks on Israel over the past month. On Thursday, Israel Security Agency officials reported that Gaza terrorists had fired 35 rockets and six mortar shells at Israel in the month of March, compared to five rockets and five shells the month before. March also saw the first rocket death since Operation Cast Lead in early 2009. A Thai worker was killed in March when a rocket struck the kibbutz (cooperative community) where he was employed. Reports from Gaza and in the international media indicate that several of the attacks were carried out as a challenge to the ruling power in Gaza, Hamas. Attacks have been carried out by rival terrorist groups Fatah and Ansar al-Sunna.
