Palestinian Islamists fired two rockets over the weekend toward Israel’s southern communities. One rocket was intercepted by the military’s Iron Dome Defense System, while another landed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot. No injuries were reported, but several parked cars sustained damage from the rocket’s explosion. In response to the Palestinian rocket fire, the IDF attacked Hamas’ military facilities in the Gaza Strip. The IDF Spokesperson’s unit released a statement saying, “Israel Air Force fighter-jets bombed two weapons production sites, a military compound and an ammunition depot” belonging to the Islamist Hamas organization. The IDF reiterated in its statement that it views Hamas as solely responsible for any attacks directed at Israel, which emanate from the Gaza Strip.
The Islamist Hamas organization revealed that as a result of the Israeli air strike, two of its operatives were killed. Hamas’ military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, announced that the two men killed in the attack were its members, and vowed to retaliate forcefully, and warned that “Israel bears full responsibility for the consequences of the escalation in the Gaza Strip.” Furthermore, both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad released a joint statement, calling on the Palestinian public to confront Israeli security forces.