BICOM

Rocket warning sirens were sounded in Ashkelon and the surrounding region as a rocket from the Gaza Strip was fired at Israel yesterday evening.

Local residents hurried for cover at around 10pm. However, the IDF was unable to locate the impact of the single rocket and later concluded that it had fallen short of Israeli territory and reports indicate the rocket may have struck a Gaza house. No organisation has yet taken responsibility for the rocket attack.

However, it was the fourth time in recent weeks that rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel. The previous attacks, which have included a Grad rocket which landed near Ashdod, have been the work of radical Salafist group called the Omar Brigade, which is sympathetic towards ISIS. The group has made clear that the attacks serve a dual purpose – targeting Israelis while challenging a recent Hamas crackdown on ISIS elements in Gaza, which saw a Salafist killed in a gun exchange last week.

Also yesterday, the IDF announced that it had concluded its investigations into three incidents during last summer’s Operation Protective Edge, including the deaths of four boys on a Gaza beach, who were struck by Israeli missiles. The probe by Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Danny Efroni found that Israeli forces believed they were targeting a Hamas naval compound and launched the strike only after “all the necessary authorisations for an attack had been obtained, and after a civilian presence in the area had been ruled out.” As a result, the investigation concluded that the strike was a tragic accident but had “accorded with Israeli domestic law and international law requirements.”

Efroni also announced that he was opening three new criminal investigations into incidents during last summer’s conflict, including the bombing of a café which killed nine Palestinians. The IDF has already opened seven separate investigations into its soldiers conduct, one resulting in indictments filed against three soldiers.