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Hamas militants launched more rockets toward Tel Aviv and other cities amid Israel's continuing air and naval bombardment of the Gaza Strip on Friday. Egypt's Prime Minister also paid a brief visit to Gaza City and its Shifa hospital to express solidarity with the Palestinians.

Israel is amassing troops and tanks on the Gaza border in anticipation of a possible ground offensive. Israeli officials are not saying it is imminent but also stressing the option remains on the table.

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MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Yesterday on the program, we talked with Israel's ambassador to the United States. And today, we'll hear from a leader of Hamas, Deputy Foreign Minister Ghazi Hamad. I asked him why Hamas had launched a rocket attack on Jerusalem, which is after all one of Islam's holiest cities.

GHAZI HAMAD: Look, now there is open war now that Israel targeting on regions and all cities in Gaza. So maybe the equation is that if Gaza is not there, Tel Aviv will not be safe and Jerusalem will not be safe.

Thousands of demonstrators went back onto the streets of Amman and other Jordanian cities on Friday. The protests were sparked by fuel price hikes, but some are now calling for the downfall of King Abdullah, a key U.S. ally in the region.

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Coming up, the Barber Shop guys are going to weigh in on the news of the week. We're particularly interested in the guy's perspective on the relationship scandal that forced the resignation of the CIA director, General David Petraeus.

Even though there were talks of a ceasefire to coincide with the visit of the Egyptian prime minister to Gaza, today, the fighting has instead escalated.

Avital Leibovich, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that for the first time, rockets fired from Gaza hit an area outside Jerusalem. The Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, who leads the West Bank, said that the "escalation is at its peak," both in Gaza and out of Gaza.

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

As Israel and Hamas continue launching attacks, residents of the Israeli city of Tel Aviv and communities to its south remain on alert for missile strikes. Sheera Frenkel reports that many fear the current round of violence is nowhere close to being over.

Jordan's monarchy has largely dodged the waves of unrest that began with the Arab Spring. But this week, angry protestors flooded the streets after the king announced gas hikes to cover deficits caused by declining aid from Persian Gulf states. For the first time, there are cries to oust the king.

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Linda Wertheimer.

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