Gaza Terrorists Fire Two Rockets at Israel

Gaza Arab terrorists overnight Friday fired two rockets at Israel. The rockets fell in open areas in southern Israel. As of Motzoei Shabbos, the IDF had not yet responded to the rocket fire. Red Alert warning sirens were sounded in towns in the Gaza border area on Shabbos morning, but no rockets were detected as falling.

Israel has increased it security presence at the border fence after the shooting and subsequent death of a Hamas operative at the Gaza border. IDF forces shot the Hamas operative on Thursday, in the belief that he was a terrorist trying to cross the border fence. The army later said that the shooting had been due to a misunderstanding, as the operative was trying to prevent other Gaza Arabs from crossing the border fence. Hamas threatened that Israel would “pay” for the error.

Last week, Hamas declared a “state of emergency” and carried out a major military exercise, Israeli security sources said. The exercise included the closure of all passages into and out of Gaza, evacuations of several neighborhoods, and the closure of waters off the Gaza coast to fishermen. In a statement, Hamas said that the exercise “portrays dealing with a major security situation, allowing for the examination of the defense system in Gaza.” Israeli officials said it was not clear what had prompted the exercise.

Over 7,000 Arabs rioted at the Gaza border fence, throwing rocks and firebombs at Israeli soldiers who were defending the border. Soldiers responded with anti-riot measures. Gaza sources reported six injuries in the rioting.