Jerusalem • Militants in Gaza fired more than 250 rockets into southern Israel on Saturday, and Israel responded with airstrikes and artillery fire, ending weeks of relative calm and threatening efforts to forge a long-term truce.
Palestinians said at least four people, including a pregnant woman and a baby, were killed by Israeli strikes.
In Israel, rocket sirens blared, and thousands of Israeli civilians — as far as 30 miles from Gaza — spent the day in or close to bomb shelters. Rocket fire and airstrikes continued into the night.
The Israeli military said in a statement that its Iron Dome air-defense batteries intercepted dozens of the rockets.