Ynet reports that ‘senior government sources’ flatly deny that Israeli representatives are on their way to Cairo to finalize details for a ceasefire. Rumors still circulating in Arab media that a ceasefire will begin at midnight.

A rocket has landed in an open area next to a town in the Sha’ar Hanegev region. No injuries or damage reported.

Times of Israel Arab affairs reporter Elhanan Miller notes that a Palestinian news agency, Donia Al-Watan, reported Saturday evening that Hamas has agreed on a ceasefire brokered by Egypt, Turkey and Qatar. The ceasefire is supposed to take effect at midnight following a final agreement by Israel. The report is unsupported by other sources.

Channel 2 analyst Ehud Yaari says Arab media outlets are reporting Israel and Hamas may be closing in on a ceasefire. According to the report, which is unconfirmed and based on sources close to Hamas, an Israeli representative is on his way to Cairo to work out the deal.

Included in the agreement would be the opening of Gaza crossings and an end to the blockade on the Strip in exchange for a ceasefire, Yaari said.

Yaari earlier reported that Hamas had rejected an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire deal, and were demanding an end to the blockade and to Israel’s policy of carrying out targeted killings.

Red alert sirens are being heard in the Sha’ar Hanegev and Sdot Henegev regional councils.

Palestinians report two people have been killed in an air strike on a vehicle in the Gaza Strip. Hamas TV showed people crowded around a burned out red car. It is not clear who was in the car or who the Israeli Defene Forces may have been targeting. The two deaths bring the Palestinian death toll to 42.

The White House has continued to defend Israel in its conflict with Gaza, even as pressure grows for a lull in fighting.

American president Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are in agreement that a de-escalation of the violence is preferred, provided that Hamas stops sending rocket into Israel, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters during the president’s flight on Air Force One to Asia.

Rhodes said the US believes “the precipitating factor for the conflict was the rocket fire coming out of Gaza. We believe Israel has a right to defend itself, and they’ll make their own decisions about the tactics they use in that regard.”

“These rockets have been fired into Israeli civilian areas and territory for some time now. So Israelis have endured far too much of a threat from these rockets for far too long, and that is what led the Israelis to take the action that they did in Gaza,” he added. (Source: AP)

Home Front cancels studies on Sunday in schools and colleges within a 40 km (25 mile) distance of Gaza Strip. However, studies in Tel Aviv will be held as usual, despite the fact that the city was targeted by Hamas over the weekend.

Police to launch nation-wide search for West Bank residents who are currently inside Israel’s pre-1967 borders without a permit. Security forces are concerned that Palestinians angry over the Gaza offensive may try to carry out terror attacks inside Israel. Earlier Saturday, Hamas began circulating a video warning of a return to suicide bombings against Israelis.

Alert sirens sound in Ashdod, Ashkelon, the Yavne region and in the Yoav Regional Council. At least three rockets reported shot down near Ashdod by Iron Dome.

Israel carries out targeted strike on a terrorist in Gaza Strip. Identity of those killed not yet reported, local television from Gaza is showing a destroyed vehicle that was the target of the attack.

Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and Gaza to be opened tomorrow morning to allow the transfer of food and medical supplies into the Hamas controlled enclave. The arrangements for opening the crossing made in coordination with the IDF, representatives of the Palestinian Authority and international mediators.

The last hour and a half has seen rocket fire from the Gaza Strip slow to a trickle, a possible sign that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are beginning to feel the effect of IDF strikes.

The army has hit some 950 targets in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the operation, including symbols of Hamas power, such as the prime minister’s office, in the last day. They have also taken out a number of rocket launchers and missile arsenals.

Speaking to reporters about an hour ago, Southern Command head Tal Russo said the army had wiped out much of Hamas’s arsenal, especially their long range rockets.

Still, 150 rockets were fired at Israel Saturday, four of which hit homes. Ten people were lightly injured in the attacks. The total Israeli death toll is three, with dozens more injured, since the beginning of the operation.

Palestinians report that 40 people in the Strip have been killed, including 17 civilians, and hundreds more injured.

On Saturday, the New York Times reported on the death of Gazan Aiman Abu Wardah as he returned from a shopping trip, mistakenly thinking a ceasefire had gone into effect, as well as a neighbor. The newspaper wrote that given the size of the explosion, however, the two were more likely killed by an errant Hamas rocket than an Israeli strike.

Israeli media reports Home Front Command to station 20 public mini shelters in Ashkelon on Sunday due to the increased rocket fire on the city.

AFP reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have agreed that a ceasefire is needed, “as soon as possible,” citing sources in the German chancellery.

International pressure on Israel and Gaza to halt hostilities in the wake of Operation Pillar of Defense have ramped up recently and will likely continue to intensify over the coming days, especially with the visit of UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday.

The agency also reported that Merkel spoke with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. Channel 2 earlier reported that Hamas had rejected an Egyptian ceasefire proposal.

Qassam rocket explodes on the edge of Hof Ashkelon region community. No injuries reported.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telephones the heads of state in European countries including Germany, Italy, Greece, and Czechoslovakia.

Netanyahu tells Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel that no country in the world would agree to have its citizens under persistent threat from rocket attacks. Merkel is reportedly in contact with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi to encourage him to continue efforts for negotiating a ceasefire. (source Ynet)

Southern Command head Tal Russo tells reporters that the IDF will continue to act until it reaches it’s goals, hitting terror groups in Gaza and Hamas leaders, with a ground operation in the offing.

He says there are still many targets that the IDF has not hit, and that terror groups in the strip have an “impressive” arsenal of weapons and missiles.

“Deterrence is the main part of this operation and we will return in order to bring back a normal life to the south.”

He also thanked the residents of the south and IDF soldiers and said the operation would take time.

Arab League meeting ends in Cairo with a call for Israel’s leaders to be tried for war crimes by the international community.

General-Secretary of the Arab League Nabil Elaraby says that Israel shouldn’t think countries that experienced the Arab Spring will only focus on their own internal issues. (source Ynet)

A Channel 10 News analyst says a senior Cabinet official told him, off the record, that within the next 48 hours key-decision makers will decide whether or not to pursue a ground incursion in Gaza.

In two days time, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon should have arrived in Israel; his aim is to secure a ceasefire.

The senior official also told Channel 10 News that a big part of the decision about a ground incursion depends on the international community’s stance, i.e. if Israel feels that a real change regarding Hamas can be made and that it won’t have to battle rockets on a regular basis — and if it then has the backing to stage a mass military operation in Gaza if terror groups continue to fire rockets — the ground incursion will be postponed, with great probability.

IDF confirms that a senior Hamas commander involved in smuggling operations between Egypt and the Gaza Strip was killed in an air strike.

Earlier the IDF killed Mohammed Kalab, a senior operative in Hamas’s air defense forces.

Jewish Agency emissaries in communities around the globe are organizing rallies in support of Israel, the semi-governmental organization said in a press release Saturday evening.

Demonstrations are planned for Sunday in San Diego, which is a sister city with the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council, as well as in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth in Australia. Dozens more rallies are also planned in the coming days on other cities.

The Agency is also encouraging people to wear red in solidarity with Israelis within rocket range, an homage to the red alert siren that sounds every time a missile is fired from Gaza. In addition, the Australasian Union of Jewish Students are trying to incubate a viral campaign for Israel supporters to change their Facebook profile pictures to photos of themselves wearing red.

Israel has thus far mostly been on the butt end of rallies around the world, which have gathered hundreds in cities around the world to demonstrate in support of Gazans. Protests have taken place in Cairo, Washington, D.C., New York, Jerusalem, Istanbul, Seoul, Rome, Vancouver and other cities since the launch of Operation Pillar of Defense on Wednesday.

Two rockets fired from Gaza at Ashdod were intercepted by Iron Dome.

A Gazan (twitter handle: @pcangel_25) posts a picture of a building that allegedly collapsed in Yarmouk Refugee Camp after being struck by the Israel Air Force:

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Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai stresses the importance of maintaining composure during and after rocket attacks.

Speaking on Channel 2, Huldai is expressing thanks to the Iron Dome operators who successfully intercepted an “upgraded Kassam” rocket fired at the central city an hour ago.

“Serious people take these threats seriously, but it is wrong to create false drama,” says Huldai.

The mayor says city schools will be open tomorrow despite the rockets and urges residents to

carry out their lives as usual.

Update from the sirens 30 minutes ago in Beersheba: Five rockets were launched at the city; four were intercepted by Iron Dome and one fell in a open area. No injures have been reported.

Reuters reporting that US President Barack Obama called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan about bringing an end to the fighting between Gaza and Israel.

Ex-chief of staff Dan Halutz, on Channel 2, says it’s time to be looking for a political solution. Some kind of an agreement is needed, he says, and it will need to ensure quiet in the south. He says Hamas is making “victory claims” and that people who claim victory are indicating that they are ready to end the round of conflict.

Halutz was chief of staff at the time of the Second Lebanon War, widely regarded as a failure. He resigned in the wake of that conflict.

The demonstration against Pillar of Defense in Nazareth, an Arab town in northern Israel, drew 500 attendees.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is speaking in Cairo. Channel 2 News is reporting that Erdogan expressed solidarity with the people of Gaza and support of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s decision to remove his ambassador from Tel Aviv, but stopped short of blasting Israel for its military operation.

During his visit in Egypt, Erdogan is scheduled to participate in a summit with Morsi, Hamas political chief Haled Mashaal and other Arab leaders to work towards reaching a ceasefire with Israel.

Channel 2 Arab affairs analyst Ehud Yaari says the Arab world is interested in attaining a ceasefire as soon as possible.

At least two sirens ringing, within minutes of each other, in Beersheba.

NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel tweets about what it’s like in Gaza:

So many drones over #Gaza city it sounds like everyone is out mowing their lawns in the dark

Magen David Adom reports no injuries or damage in the latest, and third rocket attack on Tel Aviv.

Channel 2′s Ehud Yaari says that the missile fired at Tel Aviv moments ago was not a Fajr, but one of Hamas’s “upgraded Kassams” similar to the ones fired towards Jerusalem on Friday.

Hamas has claimed responsibility and says it fired a long range Fajr-5 missile at Tel Aviv.

Mass rally beginning in the predominantly Arab town of Nazareth in northern Israel. Activists waving Palestinians flags tell Channel 2 News they are “against Israel’s military operation in Gaza.”

Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for the long-range rockets launched at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem over the past two days.

BBC reports heavy IDF troop buildup near Gaza border.

Sirens blare in Ashkelon.

The armed wing of Hamas is prepared to carry out suicide missions in case the IDF launches a ground operation in Gaza, according to a statement published on one of the websites run by the group.

“Suicide bombers are standing by for the ground invasion,” the statement said. “Once the first tank enters Gaza, these units will be activated.”

A total of three houses suffered direct hits from rockets. Two of the homes are located in the Eshkol region.

In addition, a rocket landed in the yard of a home in the Beer Tuvia Regional Council. The residents were home when it fell; one person was treated for shock.

Also, an apartment building was struck by a projectile.

Gaza terrorists fire five rockets at Ashdod, three of which are intercepted by Iron Dome. The other two land in open areas.

This is the third successful interception of rocket fire at Ashdod on Saturday. Earlier, a rocket fired at the city hit a residential building, causing serious damage.

Iron Dome intercepted four rockets in past 30 minutes. Sirens were heard in Netivot. A second house was hit in the Eshkol region; no injuries were reported.

Palestinians in Gaza fire four rockets at the southern Israeli town of Netivot, all of which are intercepted by Iron Dome, reports Channel 2 News.

Red alert siren sounds in Ashkelon.

15:01

Gaza terrorists fire five rockets at Ashdod, three of which are intercepted by Iron Dome. The other two land in open areas.

14:45

Total of three homes hit by rockets: two in Eshkol and one in Ashdod.

Iron Dome intercepted four rockets in past 30 minutes.

14:42

Palestinians in Gaza fire four rockets at the southern Israeli town of Netivot, all of which are intercepted by Iron Dome, reports Channel 2 News.

Red alert siren sounds in Ashkelon.

Sky News in Arabic is reporting that Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi will convene a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatari ruler Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal later this afternoon to discuss a possible ceasefire.

Senior Egyptian intelligence officials met with Mashaal in a closed meeting earlier today.

Channel 2 News analyst Ehud Yaari said that Egypt sent Hamas leaders Ahmad Jabari and Ismail Haniyeh messages just days before the start of Pillar of Defense warning them that Egypt was categorically against an escalation of violence in Gaza. Yaari added that Egypt has been working nonstop to try to secure a ceasefire.

14:18

Five rockets land in open areas in Beersheba.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said that if the IDF launches a ground incursion into Gaza that it must be prepared to go all out.

“We are ready for a wide-scale ground operation, if necessary, but it should be noted that the IDF enters Gaza, it cannot be stopped in the middle; it needs to go all the way.” Click here for the full article.

Update from the Ashdod rocket attack: Five people were lightly injured when a rocket struck a four-story apartment building in Ashdod. The victims were rushed to the hospital. Seven others were treated for shock.

Iron Dome intercepts four of six rockets fired at Beersheba minutes ago. The other two fell in open areas.

Sirens wailing in Ashdod and in the Beer Tuvia Regional Council, where a rocket landed in the yard of a house earlier today.

Rocket struck a home in Eshkol region; no injuries were reported.

Siren blasted in Beersheba. No explosion was heard; the rocket most likely landed in an open area, Channel 2 News reports.

Barzilai Medical Center reports that it is treating 56 people for injuries. Among the injured, 13 are suffering from shock, 42 people are being treated for contusions to their bodies, and another person was indirectly injured by shock waves from a rocket.

At least three rockets have been fired at Ashdod. One rocket reportedly made a direct hit on a house; no report of injuries at this stage. Magen David Adom is en route to the location.

Two other rockets were reportedly intercepted by Iron Dome. Two sirens were heard.

David Buskila, the mayor of Sderot, tells Channel 2 News that it’s been quiet for the past hour or two. “Please stay inside your homes,” Buskila said, addressing the town’s residents, “and don’t play around with the Home Front Command’s directions [to be in the vicinity of a safe-room].”

“We are optimistic,” added Buskila. “We hope that the IDF continues and achieves its objectives.” He also thanked MK Amir Peretz (Labor), a former defense minister, for helping raise awareness about Sderot’s suffering.

Beersheba has been quiet for over an hour as well.

Hamas Political Bureau chief Khaled Mashaal meeting now with Egyptian intelligence chief Mohamed Raafat Shehata in Cairo.

Shehata was instrumental in negotiating the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.

The meeting between Mashaal and Shehata may be a sign of efforts to begin a diplomatic push toward a ceasefire, reports Channel 2 News.

Red alert sirens wail in Ashkelon.

The city’s mayor Benny Vaknin says Iron Dome has been 100 percent successful in shooting down multiple rockets fired toward Ashkelon on Saturday.

Vaknin warns residents to stay indoors. He says he saw several people outside earlier, with their children, who wanted to watch Iron Dome make its interceptions.

IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai says Hamas field operatives are taking cover in hospitals and mosques in light of Israeli airstrikes, according to Channel 2 News.

Tal Russo, head of the IDF’s Southern Command, has declared the area bordering the Gaza Strip to be a closed-military zone. People should not enter, unless they have permits or live in communities within the proximity.

Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for firing four of Saturday’s rockets at Beersheba and Ashkelon.

Gaza terrorists fire four rockets at the Eshkol region, which borders the Strip. One rocket directly hits a house, causing serious damage but no injuries.

The foreign minister of Tunisia, Rafik Abdessalem, visiting the Gaza Strip right now, says “Israel must understand that there have been several changes in the Arab world. That which [Israel] was able to do previously is no longer allowed today.”

He added, “We call for a united Arab stance. Arab foreign ministers plan to meet today, under the framework of the Arab League, and we call for the implementation of a united and comprehensive Arab stance against the aggression.”

A fourth, consecutive siren blaring in Ashkelon — the fourth in the span of a few minutes. Streets are empty; residents are asked to stay within one minute of safe rooms.

Protests against Israel’s military operation in Gaza expected to take place Saturday in Hebron and Ramallah in the West Bank.

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, issued a statement late Friday calling for children in Israel and Gaza to be protected.

“UNICEF is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Gaza and Israel and its impact on children,” according to the statement. “In the past two days, six Palestinian children age 10 months to 15 years have been reported killed in airstrikes on Gaza, and 60 injured. Another Palestinian child was reported killed by a rocket which fell short. Gaza is under closure making it difficult for civilians to flee.”

Demonstrations against Israel’s military operation in Gaza have sprung up in various cities around the world — in Cairo, Washington, D.C., New York, Jerusalem, Istanbul, and Seoul — as well as in European cities.

In Istanbul Saturday, protesters burned the Israeli flag and a poster of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Thousands gathered in Cairo Friday and chanted slogans in support of Gaza Strip against Israel’s “blatant aggression,” according to Reuters.

In New York, some 250 activists stood outside the Israeli Consulate at 42nd Street Friday and chanted “Free, Free, Palestine!” and “Hey Israel, what do you say, how many kids did you kill today?” They were joined by the ultra-religious anti-Zionist group Naturei Karta. A small, opposing group congregated across the street and retorted:“Israel wants peace, Hamas wants terror” and “God bless America. God bless Israel.”

Similar rallies also took place in South Korea’s capital city, Seoul, in front of the Israeli embassy. “Protestors laid flowers on a temporarily built memorial, for Palestinians who have died in the last couple of days,” China’s Xinhua reported.

Activists carrying the Palestinian flag and donning keffiyehs in Washington D.C. stood outside the White House Friday and chanted “Zionism is racism,” and “Free Gaza, free Palestine.” One activist said: ”I don’t know if [US President Barack] Obama’s in there, but if he is, I hope he hears us,” Channel 10 News reported.

Red alert sirens sound in Beersheba, Ashkelon and the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council.

Explosions heard in Sderot — not clear if it’s rocket fire or Iron Dome fire.

Minister of Defense Ehud Barak speaks with US counterpart, Leon Panetta, about Pillar of Defense. Barak tells him Israel is preparing for a Gaza ground incursion. Meanwhile, back-channel negotiations for a ceasefire, through Britain and the United States and via Egypt, are ongoing, Channel 10 News commentators confirm.

A rocket fired from the northern Gaza Strip at the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon was shot down minutes ago by Iron Dome. The IDF also launched an immediate counterattack on the launching crew that fired the rocket, achieving a direct hit.

Al-Qassam Brigades post video online warning of suicide attacks on Israeli civilian targets such as bus stations and cafes.

IDF reports three Israeli soldiers in southern Israel were injured by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip.

Red alert sirens wail in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.

Palestinian sources reporting 39 dead since the beginning of Operation Pillar of Defense on Wednesday and some 350 injured in the Gaza Strip.

Tunisian officials, including ministers, have arrived in Gaza and are visiting the site of the Hamas cabinet headquarters, which was destroyed in an Israeli strike this morning.

10:37

Fifth Iron Dome battery will be operational shortly, according to Channel 2 News.

The battery is being deployed in central Israel, in the Gush Dan region which includes Tel Aviv, where millions of Israelis live.

Reports of direct hit on a house in southern Israel.

Three people lightly injured and being treated by Magen David Adom  crews.

Dror Schor, the mayor of the Beer Tuvia Regional Council — where a house suffered severe damage this morning from a rocket which landed in its yard — tells Channel 2 News that the residents of the damaged house were home during the attack. The residents were not injured, but one woman was treated for shock.

Schor advises residents to heed the advice of the Homefront Command and to enter safe rooms or shelters as soon as they hear sirens. “This saves lives,” according to the mayor.

Red alert sirens sounding in Beersheba. One explosion heard in the area.

650 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip since the start of Operation Pillar of Defense, only 26 of which landed in urban areas. IDF reports that 210 rockets were shot down by Iron Dome.

Also, reports of 79 failed launches from Gaza, according to Channel 2 News, meaning that the rockets backfired or landed in the Strip.

Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to arrive in Cairo at around noon to discuss Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense with President Mohammed Morsi, an Egyptian news outlet reported. (Ynet)

Red alert sirens sound in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. No initial reports of explosions.

Reports of 12 senior Tunisian officials, including several ministers, arriving in the Gaza Strip today.

Yesterday, Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil traveled to Gaza to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. Kandil promised his visit would be the first of many missions to the Strip.

Israel agreed to a short ceasefire during Kandil’s visit, but the quiet was cut short by rocket fire from Gaza, which was answered by Israeli strikes.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to arrive in Cairo today to confer with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi about Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense.

Yesterday, Erdogan said Israel was harming innocent civilians because of the upcoming Knesset elections in January.

Red alert sirens sounding in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council.

Red alert sirens wail in Ashdod. Iron Dome downs one rocket fired from Gaza at the southern Israeli city.

IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz is currently conducting a security assessment with his top staff.

Hamas reporting three military leaders killed this morning. Palestinian sources say that 32 people have died and some 300 have been injured in the Gaza Strip since the start of Operation Pillar of Defense on Wednesday.

The IAF strikes the house of Ahmad Randouj, commander of Hamas forces in northern Gaza and the deputy of Ahmed Jabari, who was killed Wednesday by an Israeli strike on his vehicle.

The house was used as an operations center. Randouj was not in the house when it was hit, according to Channel 2 News.

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip directly hits a business in the Beer Tuvia Regional Council. One person being treated for shock.

Palestinian sources report that the IDF just struck targets in the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah and in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. According to reports, there are injuries in both locations.

Earlier this hour, in a 15-minute timespan, a total of 14 rockets were fired at communities in the south, including seven at the Bnei Shimon Regional Council, one at Beersheba, five at the Eshkol region and another at the Merhavim Regional Council. (Ynet)

Hamas prime minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh tweets the following after the IAF strikes the terror organization’s headquarters:

“They think this will make us weaker. But the opposite is true. It only strengthens us and makes us more determined to liberate our land and deter the Zionist robber until victory.” (Translation by Times of Israel staff)

Channel 10 reports that 20,000 IDF reservists have already been called up, less than 12 hours after the cabinet approved the increase of reserves mobilization to 75,000 troops.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Chairman Ilan Biran tells Channel 10 that his company will have the fifth Iron Dome battery ready for deployment on Saturday night or Sunday.

IDF conducts 19 strikes on terror targets, including smuggling tunnels, in the Gaza Strip over the last hour.

Israel’s Channel 2 reports that two Hamas commanders were assassinated in IAF airstrikes. It also cites reports that the IAF carried out a targeted assassination on a motorcycle-riding Palestinian.