National parks open free of charge for Gaza border residents

Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman (Likud) ordered, in light of the ongoing operation Shield and Arrow, to let residents of the Gaza border area to enter the country's national parks for free.

People living within 40 km of the Gaza Strip will be granted free entry into the country's national parks and gardens, including the overnight parking lots, starting on Thursday and continuing throughout coming weekend.

Free entry to parks over the weekend

"We all together embrace the heroic residents of the south," Silman said. " I invite them to take advantage of the weather and to refresh themselves this coming weekend through a fun family camping at one of the nature sites that are spread throughout the country."

Entry will be granted upon presentation of an ID and will be subject to pre-registration on the Park Authority's website and on a space-available basis.

Restrictions in the South

Schools will remain closed across southern Israel on Thursday and Friday, the IDF's Home Front Command announced on Wednesday afternoon in a continuation of a series of restrictions placed due to the military's Operation Shield and Arrow launched on Tuesday.

The Home Front Command has directed residents of communities in southern Israel to stay near shelters and also banned any gatherings in open areas of over 10 people and gatherings in closed buildings of over 100 people.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad had fired 803 rockets into Israel between Wednesday morning and 8 p.m. on Thursday evening, and the IDF had undertaken 191 airstrikes in Gaza in the same timeframe.

One person was killed and eight others were injured after an apartment building in Rehovot suffered a direct hit in a wave of rockets fired shortly after 6 p.m. on Thursday evening.

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this story.