BICOM

Two missile attacks from Gaza last night put Israeli border communities on alert, as rioting in Gaza continued in response to the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Yesterday evening at 7 pm (local time) a missile fired from Gaza landed in an open area in the Eshkol region in southern Israel, causing no injuries or damage. An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) statement confirmed that in response to the attack, “an IDF tank and the IAF targeted Hamas military posts in the southern Gaza strip. The IDF hold Hamas responsible for these aggressive acts originating from the Gaza Strip”.

A second missile was fired from Gaza at midnight aimed at the city of Ashkelon. It was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system and the IDF and Israel Air Force (IAF) targeted Hamas military posts in the northern Gaza Strip in response.

Earlier in the day, Israeli citizens living close to Gaza in southern Israel had been advised to stay near shelters due to the ongoing likelihood of missile fire. The ten missiles fired in the last few days is the highest concentration since the summer of 2014. Leader of the Jewish Home party Naftali Bennett said: “We are on the cusp of the end of the tunnel era and that is why the Palestinians are reacting this way.”

Palestinian rioting continued in the Gaza border zone yesterday, though the number of participants decreased from the peak after Friday afternoon prayers. According to Palestinian sources 37 Palestinians were injured, mostly from tear gas and rubber bullets.

Fatah and Hamas missed another deadline in their reconciliation process on Monday. The agreement signed in Cairo two months ago said the full transfer of power to the Palestinian Authority should be completed by 1 December, which both parties subsequently pushed back to 10 December.