An Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip early Wednesday.Credit…Youssef Massoud/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images An explosive new round of hostilities between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza broadened with frightening speed on two fronts Wednesday, as waves of mob violence between Jews and Arabs spread across Israeli cities while rockets and missiles streaked overhead. The Israeli Army and Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the Gaza Strip, continued to exchange fire throughout the day. Israel claimed the assassinations of senior militants and pounded both military and residential areas across Gaza, the coastal enclave inhabited by roughly two million Palestinians. An Israeli military official said three infantry brigades were “preparing for a worst-case scenario,” confirming that a ground invasion could follow the bombardment from the air. The militants have fired more than 1,000 rockets at Israel, most landing in civilian areas across central and southern Israel. More than 50 […]