Israel Reduces Fuel Transfer to Gaza After Rocket Attacks

The IDF said Monday that in the wake of Sunday night’s rocket attacks, Prime Ministers Binyamin Netanyahu had halved the amount of diesel fuel Israel was allowing into Gaza. The cut in diesel shipments would continue until further notice. The cut is expected to cause blackouts for at least several hours during the day in Gaza.

Early Monday, Israeli planes slammed several Hamas targets in Gaza. The attacks came in response to three rocket attacks Sunday night by Gaza terrorists. Two of the rockets were intercepted by Iron Dome defense missiles, while a third one exploded in an open area near a highway. An occupied building was damaged as a result.

There were no direct injuries as the result of the rocket fire, but the attacks caused a panic at a street festival that was taking place in Sderot. Red Alert sirens sounded at about 9:00 PM, and the 4,000-plus people scrambled for cover, with witnesses reporting a “chaotic scene.” Seven people were lightly injured and 16 people were treated for shock, as thousands saw the Iron Dome missile knock out the Gaza rocket almost directly above them.

Hamas on Monday denied firing any rockets. A Hamas spokesperson said that the reports of rocket attacks were “fake news. The Israeli media is providing false information and is blaming resistance groups for rocket fire that never took place in order to justify their ongoing violence to Gaza.”