A crater is left at a spot targeted by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City early Thursday, November 15. Strikes flew across the Gaza border in rapid succession Thursday as Israel responded to an onslaught of militant rocket attacks by targeting what it called "terror sites."
Rescue workers evacuate a body Thursday in the Israeli town of Kiryat Malakhi after a rocket launched from Gaza hit an apartment building.
Palestinians watch a funeral Thursday in southern Gaza.
A Palestinian pleads for help as he and others try to save a man trapped under his car after an Israeli air raid Thursday in northern Gaza.
Israeli police inspect an apartment building hit by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants in Kiryat Malakhi on Thursday. At least three Israelis were killed and four were wounded, an Israeli police spokesman said.
The Israeli military launches a missile Thursday from the southern city of Beersheba.
A picture taken from the southern Israeli town of Sderot shows smoke billowing from a spot targeted by an Israeli airstrike inside Gaza on Thursday.
A Palestinian man inspects his damaged house following an Israeli airstrike early Thursday in Gaza City.
An Israeli reacts after a rocket launched from Gaza hits a building Thursday in Kiryat Malakhi.
Palestinian firefighters extinguish the blaze from the car of Ahmed al-Ja'abari, head of Hamas' military wing, after an Israeli airstrike hit it in Gaza City on Wednesday, November 14. The Israeli strike killed al-Ja'abari.
A woman sits inside a bomb shelter Wednesday in Netivot, Israel.
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike Wednesday in Khan Younis, Gaza.
Palestinian firefighters extinguish fire from the car in which al-Ja'abari was apparently riding.
A Palestinian man cries as security forces wheel al-Ja'abari's body into a hospital.
Palestinian youths look inside a building where al-Ja'abari's body was brought after the attack.
A wounded Palestinian girl cries at the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
Palestinian youths evacuate an elderly man following an Israeli airstrike.
Palestinian civilians leave their houses following an Israeli airstrike.
- Israel says its attack was in response to Hamas rocket attacks
- It is the most serious offensive in Gaza since 2009
- Israel says contingency plans for a ground attack are in place
Editor's note: Hala Gorani is a CNN International correspondent who has reported from every country in the Middle East including both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide. During the Arab Spring upheaval she has reported from Syria, Jordan and Egypt.
(CNN) -- What has caused the Israelis to strike so hard inside Gaza?
Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor told me Israel felt compelled to respond to what it sees as relentless Palestinian rocket attacks into Southern Israel which terrify civilians and force schools and business closures.
But the view from Gaza is very different. Palestinians there say that what the Israeli military calls surgical strikes routinely kill civilians and they are cut off from the world with a total land, air and sea blockade.
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Is this is a serious escalation of the Israel/Palestinian conflict or just another skirmish?
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Israelis, Palestinians trade fire
This is the most serious Israeli offensive on Gaza since early 2009, when an Israeli military ground war killed up to 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis. The question now is whether this will remain a contained incident or if this will turn into something bigger.
Israel's military says preparations are being made for a ground offensive, should the need for one arise. The coming days will determine how serious this incident is.
Already, we are seeing signs that this Gaza offensive is causing regional rifts. Egypt, which brokered a recent ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, was so angry at the offensive it has recalled its ambassador to Israel.
Is there a danger that this will spill into wider turmoil?
Regionally, the Middle East is looking more and more unstable by the week. The tragic Syrian civil war is spilling over into Lebanon, the occupied Golan Heights, Jordan and Turkey. Israel is concerned about Iran's nuclear program and the possibility that it will strike Iranian nuclear facilities are adding to those tensions.
And now Egypt is signaling displeasure with Israel's Gaza offensive. Will that test its treaties with the Jewish state? There are many moving parts to keep an eye on.
What does it mean for the stalled Middle East peace process?
The moribund Middle East peace process is now suffering another setback. Remember, there's an election next January and some have accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of launching this offensive in order to benefit politically from appearing to take tough action against Hamas.
There are no signs that peace talks between Israel and the Fatah government in the West Bank or any element of Hamas' leadership is looking likely on any level.
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