07:15  Air raid sirens sounded just after 7 a.m. Tuesday morning in the Gaza belt area and residents reported that Iron Dome air defense systems had shot down incoming rockets. Unconfirmed Palestinian reports said Israeli jets had carried out raids inside Gaza.

07:25 Military sources told Channel 10 TV that the rockets were fired by Islamic Jihad in revenge for three of its operatives in a firefight with IDF troops on the Gaza border earlier this week.

07:30 A military spokesman confirmed rockets had been fired at a number of locations in the south and that Iron Dome had made several intercepts.

08:15 A mortar hit a kindergarten in a kibbutz. No injuries were reported and the facility was still empty neither staff nor children had yet arrived.

08:30 Sirens sounded as two mortars fell in the Eshkol Regional Council. Some 25 mortars were fired in the previous barrage.

8:46Eshkol Regional Council Mayor Gadi Yarkoni said “I woke up this morning to a barrage (of mortar fire) aimed at our communities. The barrage began just as school buses were leaving to bring kids to school, so we stopped the buses while the shooting was going on. After consulting with the IDF, it was decided to renew the buses and to open schools as normal.

“We are prepared for complicated morning in our schools (and for) our childrens’ reactions. Our experienced teachers, together with (mental health) professionals are prepared to deal with all our childrens’ needs. We are in constant contact with the IDF; at the moment there are no special instructions to residents and we are following developments.”

9:14 Speaker of the Knesset Yuli (Yoel) Edelstein said “firing rockets at kindergartens is the most serious kind of red line. We will not allow terror organizations to harm us or to threaten the security of our children or the residents of the Gaza Belt region.”

9:18 Labor Party Chairman Avi Gabbay said, “Especially at a time like this it is our responsibility not to surrender to Hamas and to respond to any and all shooting attacks and violation of Israeli sovereignty on the Gaza border. We must do whatever is necessary to prevent another round. This is our challenge and this is our task, even on a day that a missile explodes in a kindergarten. This is our responsibility to the residents of the Gaza Belt.”