Bodies lay on the ground after a Katyusha missile landed in the northern Israeli village of Kfar Giladi. At least 12 Israelis were killed by Hezbollah rocket fire as Israel faced its bloodiest day on the homefront since launching its offensive in Lebanon. -Xinhua/AFP

At least 12 Israelis were killed and four others seriously injured on Sunday in Hezbollah rocket attack on Kfar Giladi, a community near the northern Israeli town of Kiyat Shemona.

According to local daily Ha'aretz, the condition of two of the victims suffering from serious wounds deteriorated after arriving at the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.

Officials of a communication center set up by the Israeli government in Haifa told Xinhua that the area which was hit by rocket might be a military zone, and it was not clear whether there was any soldier in the casualties.

But Israel TV channel two reported that the dead were all soldiers. Spokesperson for the Israeli army said that the message can not be confirmed at the moment due to the censorship currently imposed by the army.

Magen David Adom (Israeli Red Cross) officials said that all the people seriously wounded have been evacuated into Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.

According to Xinhua correspondents' report, the ways leading to Kfar Giladi have been blocked by the army, shortly after the bloody rocket attack.

Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post reported that the area hit by the rocket is a gathering spot of the Israeli army, and the rocket has directly hit on a crowd of people.

The newspaper reported, citing witnesses, that the barrage was going on more than 15 minutes after it had begun, at least two rockets directly hit homes.

On Sunday morning, rockets also landed in the northern Israeli cities of Nahariya, Karmiel, Rosh Pina and Safed, sirens could be heard constantly across northern Israel.