BICOM

A rocket was fired yesterday from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel. In response, Israel’s Air Force struck several strategic targets, including a training base for Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

Rocket warning sirens were sounded in Israeli communities in the Shar Hanegev region at around 9pm, sending civilians to protective bomb shelters. The rocket landed in an open area and did not cause any injuries or damage, according to the IDF, which said it is still investigating the incident. On Saturday, another rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, but landed before reaching Israeli territory.

Overnight, in response to the rocket fire, Israel’s Air Force hit strategic targets belonging to Hamas near Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip and near Dir al-Balah in the centre. The IDF said that targets included a training base for Hamas’s military wing. No injuries were reported as a result of the air strikes.

Although no group has taken responsibility for yesterday’s rocket fire or Saturday’s attempted rocket attack, an IDF statement said that it holds Hamas responsible for such attacks as the de facto authority in Gaza. It said, “The IDF sees the terrorist organisation Hamas as solely responsible for events in Gaza and we will continue to act firmly to maintain quiet in southern towns.”

Despite relative quiet in Gaza and southern Israel since a ceasefire ended Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014, infrequent rocket fire from Gaza persists. Rockets were fired at Israel earlier this month, by an Islamist group affiliated to al-Qaeda. In addition, two weeks ago Israel’s Air Force struck a terror cell planting an explosive at the border fence in the northern Gaza Strip, assumed to have been intended for Israeli troops. Meanwhile, Ynet News reported last week that senior IDF officials have told local Israeli communities that Hamas has replenished its tunnel network and rocket stockpiles and is “essentially prepared for war.”