Palestinian terror groups launched a salvo of projectiles at southern Israel on Saturday afternoon, as the IDF announced it had renewed strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip.
Rocket sirens sounded in multiple regions and Army Radio reported that at least one projectile was intercepted, with the remainder falling in unpopulated areas.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Local residents, who had earlier been told they could return to their usual routines after an earlier barrage overnight Friday, were instructed to remain close to bomb shelters and large gatherings of people were to be canceled.
On Saturday afternoon the IDF announced it had renewed strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip, without providing any further details. Palestinian media reported explosions in the north, central and southern Strip. The Hamas-run health ministry said it had not received any reports of injuries in the Israeli strikes.
Militants fired more than 30 rockets and mortars toward Israel overnight Friday after the IDF struck a number of Hamas targets in Gaza in response to violence along the border.
No injuries or damage were reported but warning sirens wailed for much of the night in border communities including the Sdot HaNegev Regional Council area and the town of Sderot.
The army earlier on Saturday said it targeted two Hamas attack tunnels as well as other military compounds in the Strip, including those involved in the spate of incendiary kite and balloon attacks.
Even as the airstrikes were being carried out, the IDF said rockets were fired toward Israel.
According to the IDF, six projectiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system. One rocket landed inside a kibbutz in the Shar HaNegev Regional Council area.
Hamas on Saturday said the barrage of rockets and mortar shells into Israeli territory overnight was fired by the “resistance” to “stop Israeli escalation.”
The spokesman for the terrorist group, Fawzi Barhoum, also said the projectiles were an “immediate response” that was meant to “deliver the message” to Israel.
The army said it held Hamas responsible for all violence emanating from Gaza, which it has ruled since 2007.
“The Hamas terror organization is responsible for the events transpiring in the Gaza Strip and emanating from it and will bear the consequences for its actions against Israeli civilians and Israeli sovereignty,” the army said, adding that “the IDF views Hamas’ terror activity with great severity and is prepared for a wide variety of scenarios.”
The IDF said aircraft had attacked “an offensive terror tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, in addition to several terror sites in military compounds throughout the Gaza Strip, among them complexes used to prepare arson terror attacks and a Hamas terror organization training facility.”
The IDF published video of its air strikes.
The latest round of violence has threatened to spark a further conflagration after weeks of tensions along the volatile border.
Israel in recent weeks has repeatedly warned Hamas that while it has no interest in engaging in the kind of conflict that led to the sides fighting three wars over the past decade, it would not tolerate its continued efforts to breach the border fence and its campaign to devastate Israeli border communities with incendiary attacks.
Residents of Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip spent the night in bomb shelters as Palestinian terror groups fired at least 31 rockets and mortars into Israel, the army said. Six of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome system.
Palestinians in Gaza resumed rocket and mortar fire into Israel after dawn on Saturday, setting off warning sirens. Residents of Israeli communities along the border, who spent a tense night in bomb shelters, reported several loud explosions.
The IDF announced Saturday morning it carried out a series of air strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip, including hitting an attack tunnel in the north of the coastal enclave. An earlier strike targeted a tunnel in the south of the Strip.
One rocket landed inside a kibbutz in the Shar HaNegev Regional Council area.
The IDF said aircraft had attacked “an offensive terror tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, in addition to several terror sites in military compounds throughout the Gaza Strip, among them complexes used to prepare arson terror attacks and a Hamas terror organization training facility.”
Following the airstrikes rocket warning sirens wailed repeatedly in Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip, including the Sdot HaNegev Regional Council area and the town of Sderot. Residents reported sounds of explosions, Israel Radio reported.
About 30 minutes after the first wave, sirens sounded again in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council area and in the Eshkol region. Residents were warned to spend the night in bomb shelters.
The army said it held Hamas responsible for all violence emanating from Gaza, which it has ruled since 2007.
“The Hamas terror organization is responsible for the events transpiring in the Gaza Strip and emanating from it and will bear the consequences for its actions against Israeli civilians and Israeli sovereignty,” the army said, adding that “the IDF views Hamas’ terror activity with great severity and is prepared for a wide variety of scenarios.”
The violence came after an IDF officer was moderately wounded Friday afternoon when a grenade was hurled at him by assailants during clashes at the Gaza border fence, the army reported Friday night.
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