IDF Strikes Hamas Terror Sites in Retaliation for Rocket

The IDF targeted terror sites in Gaza overnight Motzoei Shabbos in response to a rocket launched into Israel from the Strip.

The rocket landed in open field, causing no injuries or damage. The Iron Dome anti-missile defense system was not activated as the incoming projectile was headed for an unpopulated area, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

Rocket alert sirens were, however, activated in the border kibbutzim of Kfar Aza and Nachal Oz, and residents reported hearing an explosion.

The IDF said the airstrikes targeted a weapons manufacturing facility and an underground tunnel belonging to Hamas, the terror group that has controlled Gaza since 2007.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists are believed to have fired the rocket, but the IDF stressed in previous incidents that it held Hamas responsible for all activities emanating out of Gaza.

A month ago, a rocket fired at the Eshkol region by Gazan terrorists was intercepted by the Iron Dome, and shortly after that three additional rockets failed to cross the border, hitting inside the Strip. It was the first such barrage since Operation Breaking Dawn on August 5-7, when Palestinian terrorists fired approximately 1,100 rockets towards Israeli territory.