Tel Aviv apartment hit by Hamas rocket, four wounded

Four people were wounded, including two moderately, on Friday afternoon when a Hamas rocket slammed directly into an apartment in Tel Aviv. 

The victims, ranging in age from 20 to 78, were taken to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center for treatment. A 53-year-old male was suffering from a moderate abdominal injury and a 20-year-old make had moderate injuries to his head and limbs. The others suffered from smoke inhalation. 

Footage reportedly from the scene showed extensive damage to an apartment on the upper floor of an apartment building, with smoke rising from the scene.

Tel Aviv-Jaffa Mayor Ron Huldai asked the crowd gathering at the scene of the blast to evacuate the area.

"A miracle the residents were not present"

In a later conversation with Maariv, the owner of the apartment said, "It was a miracle from heaven that the residents were not present."

Hamas took responsibility for the rocket barrage in a statement posted to its Telegram channel.

As a result of the attack, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality said it would be altering the education system for the coming week in light of the rocket attacks directed at the city. Students had been expected to return to school according to their usual routines. The new plan for Tel Aviv's educational apparatus will function according to "preparedness level 'yellow,'" the municipality said. This means that for the next week in Tel Aviv schools, learning will only take place in protected and regulated spaces.

Injuries reported in Ashkelon

Also on Friday afternoon, the Ashkelon municipality spokesperson said there were several reports of casualties in the wake of the latest rocket attack on the city.

An update from Israel Fire and Rescue quickly followed detailing three main sites where rockets had struck in Ashkelon.

The first site was a direct hit on a building, at approximately the ninth floor. Firefighters commenced search and rescue operations in order to both evacuate people who may be trapped or injured and to disconnect energy sources.

The second site of a rocket impact was a construction site. Similarly, firefighters began a search for workers. The Fire and Rescue spokesperson noted that they had intelligence that foreign workers were inside the building.

A third rocket slammed into a ground-level house. Again, firefighters began conducting a search of the house as well as of nearby homes. 

There is not yet any information about potential casualties that may have resulted from the rocket strikes.

Rockets strike Sderot

On Friday night, two more rockets made direct hits on buildings in Sderot, the municipality spokesperson said. One of the rockets struck a house. The other hit a shelter.

No injuries occured, but structural damage to the impacted infrastructure has been reported.