A Qassam rocket directly hit the fourth floor of a Sderot building on Wednesday. No one was wounded but several people were treated for shock. Several apartments in the building were damaged in the attack, but rescue teams said the apartment that sustained a direct hit had been empty during the strike.

Earlier Wednesday, the IAF killed two Hamas men in a strike on a group of gunners firing rockets at Israel from the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas radio said the men killed in attack belonged to its military wing.

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An IDF spokeswoman said the air force targeted "a group of armed terrorists" in the northern part of the territory near Jabaliya refugee camp.

In addition to the two Hamas men killed in the strike, several people were wounded and a house was damaged, ambulance crews said.

Speaking of Israel's ongoing campaign against Qassam rocket attacks, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said late Tuesday: "Hamas exploits every calm and quiet period to build itself up and prepare for future attacks. We cannot allow this."

Meanwhile, IDF troops shot and wounded a Palestinian militant who opened fire on their patrol near the West Bank town of Tul Karm.

Soldiers later found blood stains and a M-16 rifle, but did not apprehend the gunman.

Also Tuesday, IDF troops killed two Fatah militants during separate raids in the West Bank.

IDF special forces in Ramallah tried to arrest Omar Abdel-Halim, a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and a former member of the elite Force 17. An exchange of fire broke out during the raid, in which the 22-year old Abdel-Halim was killed and four other Palestinians were wounded.

Adbel-Halim was considered an associate of Khaled Shwish, who was arrested by the IDF on Monday. Shwish was one of the founders of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Bridages, and is believed to be responsible for the deaths of eight Israelis.

Special forces near Jenin killed Mohammed Mara'i, who five days ago announced the formation of a new Fatah militant offshoot, the Abu Amar Brigades.