A spiralling round of Israeli air strikes and rocket fire from Gaza claimed the lives of nine Palestinian militants and one Israeli civilian on Saturday following weeks of relative calm. The Israeli air force targeted a group of militants in southern Gaza on Saturday morning that it said was preparing to launch long-range missiles into Israel. Five Islamic Jihad operatives were killed, including a senior commander, Ahmed al-Sheikh Khalil. A salvo of missiles later struck southern Israel, triggering air raid sirens and causing the death of a man in Ashkelon, about 10 miles north of Gaza. Four other Israelis were sustained light to moderate injuries. More than 20 rockets were fired in total on Saturday, according to the Israeli military.