Gaza-based terrorists fired two rockets into southern Israel on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the fifth and sixth attacks in a week.
There were no injuries or significant damage resulting from the rocket fire. Prior to the latest attacks, Israeli planes struck Hamas targets following four rocket attacks on Friday and Saturday night. Three of the missiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, but one landed outside a home in the Israeli community of Sderot.
After the rocket attacks on Saturday, three armed Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers as they tried to enter southern Israel. Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip said the infiltration was a “harbinger of a larger explosion”.
Tensions have been high in the lead up to a Qatari envoy’s visit to the Gaza Strip this week. The envoy will monitor the distribution of Qatari aid to support families in need and consider Qatari-sponsored infrastructure projects in the territory.
A Hamas source was quoted in a Lebanese newspaper on Tuesday threatening an escalation of violence if Israel does not allow in financial aid from Qatar and an increase in electricity in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas source said: “The factions have given the interlocutors a direct threat: If the enemy does not implement the understandings, allowing entry of the Qatari funds and increasing the quantity of electricity by this weekend, they will move to escalate on the ground”.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said: “The IDF will continue to oppose attempts to harm Israeli civilians and considers the Hamas terrorist organisation responsible for what happens in and out of the Gaza Strip”.
