Hamas Rocket Aimed at Israel Backfires
The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday that a rocket aimed at Israel from Gaza on Saturday evening failed to reach its mark, landing instead in the Hamas-ruled enclave.
Earlier on Saturday, the IDF announced that its tanks had “attacked military positions of the Hamas terror organization in the southern Gaza Strip,” in response to the launching of a rocket into Israeli territory on Friday night. The IDF said that the rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome air-defense system.
On Friday, following the launch of seven rockets into Israel from Gaza late Thursday night, IDF aircraft struck a Hamas “military compound” in the Strip, believed to be a rocket-manufacturing site.
Following statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhau and Defense Minister Benny Gantz last Wednesday, indicating that the IDF could resume the targeted killing of terrorists—in addition to attacking terrorist infrastructure—the Hamas leadership has gone “underground.” according to a Ynet report.
The report also said that there appeared to be a downturn in the violence from the Hamas-ruled territory at the end of the week, as the last launch of “incendiary and explosive balloons” into southern Israel was reported by the IDF on Thursday.
The latest surge in attacks from Gaza, which began in early August, came amid Hamas demands for assurances that Qatar would continue to provide financial assistance to the Strip.
Mohamed al-Emadi, Chairman of Qatar’s Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, is expected to return to the coastal territory during the coming week, Ynet reported. Al-Emadi stated last week “that Qatar has been and will continue to support” the Palestinians, according to MENAFN-Gulf Times.
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