Two teens were wounded on Tuesday evening, one moderately and one critically, when a Qassam rocket fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip landed in the western Negev town of Sderot.

The children, both approximately 14-years-old, were wounded in their limbs when the rocket hit near their residential building. They were treated on the spot by medics from Magen David Adom, and the evacuated to hospital.

Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.

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Defense Minister Amir Peretz urged Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Tuesday night in a telephone conversation to rescind the policy of restraint against Qassam rockets. "We cannot continue to restrain ourselves," he said. "We cannot let Jihad get stronger. We must fight against Qassam fire."

Olmert and Peretz will convene the security cabinet on Wednesday to discuss the escalation on the Gaza border.

Militants fired at least seven rockets at Israel over the course of the day, one of which landed near a strategic site in the southern port town of Ashkelon. Five of the rockets were fired within the morning hours. There were no injuries in any of those incidents.

Almost 30 Qassams have been fired over the last week, despite a cease-fire agreed to by Israel and the Palestinians.

One of the rockets landed in the western Negev city of Sderot causing damage to a building, and the other three landed in open areas nearby. No injuries were reported.

The Foreign Ministry said Monday that Israel's ambassador to the United Nations has been instructed to submit an urgent protest to the duty president of the UN Security Council, "strongly condemning Palestinian violations of the November 25 cease-fire."

The protest will note that since the cease-fire went into effect, 53 Qassam rockets have been fired into Israel, the ministry said in a statement.

The statement also said that Israel will ask the Security Council "to convey its serious protest andwarning to the UN secretary-general and to the Palestinian side, which it accuses of acts of provocation."

According to the ministry, "The formal protest is to note that no country in the world would tolerate the unceasing firing of rockets into its territory, and point out thatIsrael has the right to defend itself under Article 51 of the UN Charter."

The Shin Bet lifted a gag order on Tuesday dealing with the arrest of a Palestinian suspect in the murder of Israeli Marik Gavrielov six years ago. Gavrielov had traveled to the city of Bitounia outside Ramallah in order to sell his car, and was shot to death.

The suspect, Muhammad Saidi, a member of the military wing of Fatah from the Amari refugee camp near Ramallah, was arrested for the October 2000 murder of Gavrielov, shortly after the outbreak of the second Intifada. Another suspect in the murder was arrested three years ago by the Shin Bet.

According to the Shin Bet, Saidi confessed to his involvement in the murder during his investigation.