A rocket hit a shopping mall center on Wednesday in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, injuring at least 14 people, the Israeli military and emergency officials said, according to CNN. Among the victims, a mother and infant were seriously wounded.

According to Islamic Jihad sources, the militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. Islamic Jihad is a militant group that operates in Gaza, an area that is controlled by Hamas leaders. Hamas operates a separate militant group called the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

The assault came as U.S. President George W. Bush meets with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem in order to celebrate the Jewish state’s 60th anniversary, and hours after Israeli military operations in Gaza killed four Palestinians, Palestinian medical and security sources said.

“America stands with you in breaking up terrorist networks and denying the extremists sanctuary,” Bush said in remarks prepared for delivery to the Israeli parliament, according to AFP. He also underlined the strong links between the U.S. and Israel, saying their alliance is “unbreakable.”

“Israel’s population may be just over seven million. But when you confront terror and evil, you are 307 million strong, because America stands with you, “ Bush said, quoted by the same source.

President Bush said he hoped that by Israel’s 120th anniversary the Palestinians “will have the homeland they have long dreamed of and deserved - a democratic state that is governed by law, respects human rights, and rejects terror.”

It appears that Israeli leaders were reluctant to order a full-scale invasion of Gaza. Their hesitation is under growing criticism , as Gaza militants, who fired Kassam rockets at small Israeli border communities for several years, improve their weaponry.