Gaza Rockets Fired at Yerushalayim, No Injuries

Seven rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at the Yerushalayim area and Beit Shemesh on Monday evening, according to the IDF.

One of the rockets was intercepted by Israeli air defenses, the military says. The rest apparently landed in open areas.

B’chasdei shamayim, there are no reports of injuries or damage.

Air raid sirens were sounded in the capital as thousands of Israelis took part in the Yerushalayim Day Flag March in the downtown area.

Police said they have begun evacuating people from the Old City of Yerushalayim. “Police forces at the Western Wall have begun to evacuate those in the area to safer locations,” the police said.

The Knesset plenum was evacuated during the incident.

The Israeli Air Force launched retaliatory raids on targets in the Gaza Strip. There were unconfirmed reports of 3 casualties.

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, Yamina chairman Naftali Bennett and New Hope leader Gideon Saar issued a statement: “We will support the actions of the government in the war against Israel’s enemies.

The U.S. Department banned its diplomatic staff from entering the Old City. “Embassy personnel in East Jerusalem and City Center advised to remain indoors from 7PM-8AM,” it said.

Channel 12 showed a photo of a house in Mevasseret Zion, a suburb of Yerushalayim, which sustained damage from the rocket fire. A window in the house was apparently shattered by rocket debris.

Hamas had threatened to attack Israel if Israeli security forces weren’t removed from parts of the capital by 6 p.m. The attack occurred shortly thereafter.

Hamas took responsibility for the attack, saying that it was “in response to [Israeli] crimes and aggression against the holy city and harassment of our people in Sheikh Jarrah and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and this is a message that the enemy should understand well.”

Sirens also sounded in Sderot and nearby communities in the Sha’ar Hanegev region of southern Israel.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Islamic Jihad claimed it fired 30 rockets at Sderot, but that number was unconfirmed.

Meanwhile, an anti-tank missile fired from Gaza hit an Israeli car across the border. The car was set afire and an Israeli man was lightly hurt, according to the IDF.

The man, a civilian, has been taken to a hospital for treatment.

Residents of a community in the Shaar Hanegev region were advised to go into their houses and lock the doors amid concerns that terrorists may have entered the area from the Gaza Strip.

For security reasons, the name of the community has not been released.