Shul Bombed in Tel Aviv, Israel Woman Dies in Day 4 of Operation

As day four of Israel’s operation against Hamas in Gaza loomed, a rocket has already hit a synagogue in Tel Aviv and a Haifa woman had been killed while running to a bomb shelter.

The deceased suffered a heart attack as sirens rang out in the large Israeli city. At the Tel Aviv shul, no injuries were reported.

The incidences spoke to heightened alarm across Israel, where citizens have been waiting to see if a rumored ground operation would indeed go through. With 20,000 troops at the border and leaders from Israeli President Shimon Peres to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas saying the ground invasion looked imminent, it seemed only a matter of time by daybreak.

Abbas took flak from Hamas today after the leader urged for a ceasefire out of the Strip. Abbas’s West Bank government is on the outs with Hamas, since a new unified government fell apart at the outbreak of Operation Protective Edge July 7.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama affirmed his alliance with the Jewish state, during a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu last night.

“The president reiterated the United States’ strong condemnation of continuing rocket fire into Israel by Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza and reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against these attacks,” the White House said in a statement Thursday evening describing the call.

“The president expressed concern about the risk of further escalation and emphasized the need for all sides to do everything they can to protect the lives of civilians and restore calm.”

Since the outset of the operation, more than 500 air strikes have taken place on Hamas terror sites in Gaza. Meanwhile, hundreds of rockets have been fired at the Jewish state, with attacks on large Israeli cities like Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Beersheba.

Today, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said more Iron Dome batteries were en route. The Iron Dome missile defense system, a costly platform paid for in large part by the US, has been crucial in protecting Israeli citizens.

“We are talking about outstanding achievements of the system, which primarily saves lives, and gives us broad possibilities in the battle against Hamas, and sends a strong message to states and organizations around us, who are accumulating massive amounts of missiles and rockets.”

Operation Protective Edge was launched following weeks of relentless rockets from the Strip, and after the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens by Hamas.