BICOM

Machine gun rounds struck the home of a family in the Kibbutz of Nativ Ha’Asara last night. Israeli news reported this morning that one of the bullets struck the television in the living room as the children were watching it, however no injuries were reported.

Two other houses were also hit by bullets, according to an IDF spokesperson. In response, the Israel Air Force targeted a Hamas base in northern Gaza in the early hours of Thursday morning. It is believed that the rounds were fired from this base.

Yair Farjun, Head of the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, said in response to the incident: “We cannot come to terms with this real threat to our lives. I demand that the government take immediate steps to eradicate this threat to the lives of Israeli citizens.”

While the initial IDF assessment is that the bullets were fired in the direction of Israel by mistake, the Israeli response targeted Hamas because, as a military official put it, Hamas is “the only party responsible for what goes on in the Gaza Strip, and for maintaining the quiet in the region.”

Earlier this week a rocket was fired from Gaza toward Israel, and while it fell within the confines of Gaza, sirens sounded in southern Israel forcing civilians to run to shelters. Last week, another rocket fired by ISIS affiliate Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis fell in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council near the Strip.