Palestinian-Islamists continued their assault on southern Israeli communities with the latest rocket barrage fired from Gaza just after midnight this morning.
Residents in the city of Netivot had just 30-seconds to reach their bomb shelters after air raid sirens were sounded.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit confirmed to TV7 that “three projectiles were launched from the Gaza Strip,” all of which exploded in unpopulated Israeli territory. While no damage was reported, a 37-year-old in Netivot lost consciousness after fainting and was treated for shock.
In addition to the missile launches, balloons rigged with explosives are also being sent from the Hamas-controlled enclave into the Jewish State. According to the Israel Police Spokesperson’s Unit, several incendiary balloons were discovered in the cities of Sderot and Kiryat Gat. Police Bomb sappers were immediately dispatched to the landing sites to defuse the improvised explosives. No injuries or damage were reported in any of the attacks.
In response to the surge of airborne terrorism, the police are urging the public to refrain from touching any drifting balloons, and to immediately call Israel’s 100 emergency hotline if any suspicious objects have been observed. The authorities are also calling on parents to inform their children about the advisory concerning the potential dangers posed by the balloons.
IDF fighter jets retaliated for the Palestinian attacks with strikes on Hamas installations in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the IDF Spokesperson, “a weapons manufacturing site used by the Hamas terror organization was targeted” to impede its “future abilities.” The Israeli military also repeated its long-held policy that it “views any kind of terror activity aimed at Israel with great severity” and remains “prepared for various scenarios.”
Israel’s security establishment is expressing frustration over the military’s inability to deter Jihadist activity in Gaza, amid the political impasse in Jerusalem that has left the country in the hands of a caretaker-government. One defense official asserted that the sporadic rocket fire will continue until the nation’s political echelons comprehend that the situation has gone from bad to worse.
Including this morning’s attack, 13 missiles have been fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel so far this week, accompanied by the incendiary balloon terrorism.