BICOM

Forty-five missiles and mortars were fired at Israel from Gaza last night.

Three of the missiles landed in Israeli communities in the Eshkol region, causing damage to cars and buildings, directly hitting a house and landing near a kindergarten, but no injuries resulted. Local communities spent the night in bomb shelters but schools are open as normal today.

Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defence system intercepted seven of the missiles and three fell within the Gaza Strip.

A statement by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed Israel’s position that “Hamas is responsible for everything that transpires in the Gaza Strip and will bear the consequences for deliberately targeting its terror at Israeli civilians”.

In response to the missile attack Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets targeted approximately 25 Hamas and Islamic Jihad military targets in the Gaza Strip.

In a related development, firebombs launched from Gaza attached to kites and balloons caused 16 fires in Israel. 6,000 acres of Israeli farmland and nature reserves have been damaged since April.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced yesterday that the Rafah crossing from Gaza into Egypt, which was opened for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, will remain open until the Muslim holiday of Eid al-adha on August 21. The current opening has already been the longest continuous period since 2013 and has been used by 11,455 people.