“We just suffered a devastating blow," a senior official involved in the negotiations to form Israel's next government told Al-Monitor this morning on condition of anonymity. "It is doubtful now that we will be able to form the government that we wanted. The overwhelming feeling is that everything just got a lot more complicated.” The pessimistic assessment comes in the wake of one of the most impactful nights in the history of Arab-Jewish relations in the State of Israel.

Since early yesterday morning, Gaza militants have been firing hundreds of rockets at Israeli southern communities. By evening, the projectiles' range encompassed Tel Aviv and its neighboring cities. The rocket attacks lasted throughout the night and millions of Israelis were forced into shelters.

By morning there were six dead and dozens more wounded, and the attack showed no signs of relenting. Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, Israel has been dragged into another Gaza campaign while the country is at a political weak point. The violence could last for days.

Amid clashes with Hamas, the situation in the country’s mixed Arab and Jewish towns was spinning out of control.