IDF forces struck terror targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday night, following at least two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip that struck southern Israel, according to the IDF Spokesperson Unit. “The IAF struck several outposts of the Hamas terror group in response to rockets fired [at Israel] from the Gaza Strip,” the report stated. According to Palestinian reports, the IDF caused damage to Hamas outposts but no casualties were reported. The rockets were fired while tensions remain high over the release of US President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century.”
Incoming rocket sirens were activated in the communities of Sufa and Nir Yizhak, and a statement by the Eshkol Regional Council said that a rocket landed in an open area, causing no damage or injuries.
Two hours earlier, sirens sounded in the college town of Sderot. The IDF said that the projectile was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.
According to unconfirmed reports, shrapnel from the interceptor landed on a home in Sderot; there were no injuries reported.
The rocket fire comes several hours after three mortar shells were fired from the coastal enclave, leading an IDF tank to fire a shell at a Hamas observation post in the southern Strip. One of the mortar shells was intercepted by Iron Dome; the other two landed in open areas.
Also on Friday, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 14 Palestinians were injured, including 10 by live fire, in violent clashes with IDF troops taking place along the border fence.
Early on Friday, the Israel Air Force struck “a wide range of targets” in Gaza, including an underground weapons facility, in response to three rockets and explosive balloons fired from the Palestinian enclave at Israel as well as sniper fire against an army position along the border fence.
A mother and her three-week-old baby were injured when the incoming rocket siren was activated in Sderot on Thursday night. The baby suffered moderate to serious head injuries while the 30-year-old mother suffered light wounds.
Multiple explosive balloons were spotted throughout southern Israel on Thursday, including in the city of Dimona, located over 70 km. from the Gaza Strip, as well as in Kiryat Gat. At least two of them exploded in the air near a town in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, as well as in Sderot earlier in the day.
Incendiary balloons, similar to those launched from the Gaza Strip, were launched from the Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiya for the first time on Wednesday.
While there has been relative calm between Israel and the Gaza Strip, the tensions have been rising over the past few days following the release of US President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century” peace plan, which has been rejected by the terror group.
Comments are closed.