Less than 12 hours after Jerusalem permitted a Qatari-financed shipment-of-oil to enter the Gaza Strip, in response to what Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said was “a decrease of violence” emanating from the Hamas-ruled enclave; Palestinian Islamists have launched a rocket from the Strip toward the southern communities of Israel. An Iron Dome anti-rocket defense battery fired a missile at the incoming projectile, yet failed to intercept the rocket, which thankfully exploded in an open area in the central Negev desert – causing no injuries or damage. The failure of the advanced anti-rocket systems to intercept the incoming rocket has prompted a military inquiry into the incident.
In response to the rocket-fire, the Israeli Air Force attacked eight militant installations belonging to the Islamist Hamas organization. The IDF spokesperson’ unit released a statement stressing that it views “the Hamas terror organizations as solely responsible for all events transpiring in the Gaza Strip and emanating from it, and will bear the consequences for the terror it has waged against Israeli civilians.” The statement further underscored the IDF’s preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, and its determination to fulfill its mission of protecting Israeli civilians.