At least one missile hit Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon. The missile landed in an open area and did not cause any injuries, but the impact and explosion could be heard and felt across the Greater Tel Aviv area.
On Thursday, Tel Aviv was hit by two missiles from Gaza. It was the first time Israel's coastal metropolis had sustained a direct missile attack since the first Gulf War over 20 years ago, and marks a major escalation in the current conflict.
Earlier on Friday, dozens of missiles fired by Gaza-based terrorists hit cities across southern Israel. At least three people were wounded, and widespread damage was reported.
All this happened as Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil was paying a solidarity visit to Hamas in Gaza. Kandil provided both cover and legitimacy to the Hamas regime, and blamed Israel alone for the ongoing violence.
Kandil claimed to be in Gaza for the sake of restoring calm, but his boss, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi revealed that the real reason behind the visit was to threaten Israel.
Following morning prayers in Cairo, Morsi was quoted by Egyptian newspaper A-Sharq as saying that "Gaza won't be alone this time" and cautioning that Israel will "pay a heavy price if it continues to attack in Gaza."
Israel did continues to strike Hamas installations in Gaza throughout the day. But the missile strikes on Tel Aviv marked a serious escalation for which many in Israel demanded a more serious response.
On Friday morning, Israel's military leadership began the call-up of a first wave of 16,000 reserve soldiers. At the same time, media outlets reported that Israeli armor was massing on the Gaza border.