PALI ROCKET HITS ASHKELON SCHOOL

Palestinian rocket hits Israeli city (AP)

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Palestinian militants hit an Israeli city with a rocket from Gaza for the first time on Tuesday, causing no casualties but drawing a pledge of harsh retaliation from Israel while it was already in the midst of a military offensive. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the rocket fire on the coastal city of Ashkelon a “major escalation,” coming just hours after a deadline set by the militants holding an Israeli soldier passed with Israel rejecting demands to release about 1,500 Palestinian prisoners. The militants said they would not harm 19-year-old Cpl. Gilad Shalit — if he is still alive. But they warned they would provide no further information about him, leaving his condition unclear.

Early Wednesday, Israeli aircraft struck the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza for the second time in a week, the military said. Witnesses said missiles hit the main structure again and damaged a building next to the ministry which has been used since the first attack. Rescue workers said two people were wounded. The rocket flew 7 miles through the air and exploded in the courtyard of a school in Ashkelon, a city of 110,000 on Israel’s coast north of Gaza. The school was empty at the time and no one was hurt. School security cameras showed a large cloud of white dust rising from the point of impact.