Israel has launched a wave of air strikes in the Gaza Strip, after Palestinian terrorists fired 40 rockets at Israeli towns. In one strike, helicopters fired missiles at two cars carrying gunmen from the Islamic terror group Hamas in Gaza City. The vehicles exploded in flames, and two Hamas gunmen were killed. Other raids targeted weapons factories, training bases and rocket launching sites. Israeli ground forces and artillery units are massing on the Gaza border. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said now that Israel has pulled out of Gaza and withdrawn to the international border, the army will respond to Palestinian aggression with a “crushing blow.”