Rocket explodes in the heart of Ashkelon....

This seems to be a powerful Grad rocket...

A rocket fired from the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun exploded in the heart of a populated area in the southern city of Ashkelon on Friday morning. Eight people suffered shock. Two empty floors of an apartment building, several cars and a nearby pavement sustained damage. Many windows were shattered.

Police dispatched to the rocket's landing site urged the residents to stay in their homes for fear of additional rockets.

"We heard the siren and ran into the fortified room," says Dudi Ben-Shlush, who lives on the fourth floor of the building hit by the rocket. "We heard the loud explosion only after we came out. The entire building trembled, windows were shattered, and the shutters were damaged.

"When we went downstairs, we saw that our two cars were completely damaged and their windows were shattered. It was very scary; we thought the entire building was going to collapse."

Nechama Carmi, who lives in the same building, was washing her car when she heard the siren. "I ran into the stairwell and waited there. When I came out I heard the loudest explosion I've heard since Operation Cast Lead. It was very strong and terrifying."