IDF targets Gaza after rocket barrage,
Egyptian shell hits yeshiva on border
Israel struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip after rockets were fired toward southern communities on Tuesday night from the coastal enclave.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that some of the targets hit in the two waves of airstrikes included Hamas underground military facilities, as well as a weapons production plant. The facilities were targeted in response to two rockets that were fired towards the city of Sderot. One of the Hamas rockets was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.
While sirens were activated, the Home Front Command reported a malfunction in the Red Alert system, with warnings not showing up on its mobile telephone app. The Home Front Command later said that the system was back to being fully operational.
During the first wave of retaliatory strikes around midnight, additional sirens sounded in the Ashkelon
Regional Council. The military said that the activation was not caused by rocket fire, but is believed to have been caused by anti-aircraft fire towards Israeli planes carrying out the retaliatory strikes.
The Ashkelon municipality confirmed no projectiles fell in the city following an inspection by security forces after the alarm sounded.
On Wednesday, Defense Minister Naftali Bennett warned Israel would respond to rocket fire whether or not any damage was caused.
“We deem a rocket that does not cause damage to be the same as a rocket that does,” he said. “Those who fire will be hit.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that “we will respond firmly to any attack” and “we will continue to maintain Israel’s security on all fronts.
“If anyone in Gaza thinks they can raise their head after Operation Black Belt, they are seriously mistaken,” he added, referring to the last round of violence between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in early November following the targeted assassination of one of the group’s commanders, Baha Abu al-Ata.
In an unrelated incident on Tuesday, a shell from an Egyptian tank hit the dining hall of a yeshiva in Bnei Netzarim, a community located only a few kilometers east of Egypt and south of the Gaza Strip, according to The Jerusalem Post’s sister publication, Maariv.
Damage was reported but no injuries. The hall was empty at the time of the impact because students were learning in a different part of the building. Moreover, the gas canisters located in the room were not affected.
“Today, a great miracle happened to us,” said Rabbi Hillel Rothkoff, the head of the Yeshiva Gvoha Bnei Netzarim.
The IDF said that the episode was likely an accident, but that it would further investigate the matter.
Similar episodes had already affected the area before. About two months ago, another Egyptian shell damaged a vehicle.