IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz addressed the current round of violence in the south on Wednesday, saying Israel’s security agencies will continue to act to prevent rocket attacks on Israel.

“Over the past two days we have witnessed, and still witness, attempts to harm Israeli security,” Gantz said during a ceremony marking the graduation of IDF ground officers.

He added, “It started with an infiltration into Israel from the Egyptian border, which was thwarted by the IDF and in which an Israeli citizen was killed, and continued with a barrage of rockets on southern communities.”

“In all these incidents our enemies sought to harm our sovereignty and the safety of our citizens,” added Gantz. “In front of all of these stood a powerful army, which is ready to respond to any threat at all times.”

Terrorists fired at least 41 rockets into Israel on Wednesday alone. Three short-range Qassam rockets exploded in areas within the Eshkol Regional Council district a few minutes prior to the noon hour. 

An early-morning barrage fired at the Eshkol just minutes before Israel’s final day of classes for some 640,000 public high school students had already sent youths racing for their shelters just before school was about to start.

The three rockets landed in open areas around the Eshkol region at about 8:00 a.m. The attack came minutes after medium-range a Grad missile was fired at the city of Be’er Sheva.

In a joint IDF and Shin Bet activity Wednesday in southern Gaza, IAF aircraft targeted a Global Jihad terror operative involved in the planning and execution of Monday’s terror attack against Israeli construction workers.

Earlier, IAF aircraft struck seven terror sites in Gaza overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday morning. Hits were confirmed and all aircraft returned safely to their airbases.

Hamas’ military wing said on Wednesday evening that it had agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Israel “as long as (Israel) commits to stopping its crimes.”