Two Kassam rockets hit open areas in the western Negev on Saturday evening. No one was wounded and no damage was reported, as one of the rockets hit the Eshkol region and the other landed in the Sha'ar Hanegev area.

There were no casualties in the Grad attack on Ashkelon earlier on Saturday, as the school was closed, though a number of residents were treated for shock. Another Grad rocket landed in an open area just outside the city.

Ashkelon residents reported hearing an air raid siren at 8:43 am, before a rocket tore through the school, destroying classrooms and spraying shrapnel in all directions

Following the rocket fire, the Ashkelon Municipality reactivated its emergency command and control center, situated in a bomb shelter adjacent to city hall, where situation analysis meetings have been scheduled for Saturday.

The center had served as a hub for coordinating emergency responses to the large numbers of rockets fired at the city during Operation Cast Lead.

"In light of the situation, we can say with certainty that the school struck by a rocket will not be open tomorrow. We will have to find an alternative solution for students. The remainder of the schools will open on Sunday," Deputy Mayor Shlomo Cohen said.

Cohen added that the municipality "shares the concerns of parents in light of the deterioration of the situation, but we must remember that carrying on in a routine manner means bolstering the education system and the whole of the city of Ashkelon."

A tour of the school by Ashkelon Municipality safety officials found that shrapnel damage had reached parts of the building which had been designated as safe zones by the Home Front Command.

The municipality has been waiting for two weeks for the Ministry of Defense to approve rocket reinforcement construction plans drawn up to protect schools in the city, Cohen said, adding that the school struck in Saturday's attack was on the list of schools waiting for protection.

"The Ashkelon Municipality has demanded that the school be equipped with inexpensive basic rocket protection reinforcement. The reinforcement plans have been approved by the municipality and the Home Front Command. They have been sitting on the desks of Defense Ministry officials for two weeks, waiting for approval," Cohen said.

On Saturday evening, the Ashkelon Municipality and the city's parents' council decided that although no classes would be held in the damaged school on Sunday, other schools would hold classes as usual.

Earlier on Saturday, a Kassam rocket struck an open area in the Eshkol region, causing no casualties or damage.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility by Palestinians.

On Friday, Gazans fired a Kassam that hit an open area in the Sdot Negev region. No one was wounded and no damage was caused by the rocket launched from northern Gaza.