MIDEAST-ISRAEL-CONFLICT-GAZA-GRAD ROCKET

Israelis inspect the damage in a classroom in the southern Israeli city of Beersheva, some 40 kms from the border with the Gaza Strip, on December 31, 2008 following a Gaza militants Grad-type rocket attack. Gaza militants have been firing deeper into Israel in recent days and a spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas vowed rockets would be fired even further if Israel doesn't halt its bombardment of the Palestinian territory. The militants have recently acquired the "Grad" military-grade projectiles with a longer range than the so-called Qassam rockets they manufacture themselves. AFP PHOTO/MENAHEM KAHANA