A rocket was fired at southern Israel on Wednesday night, triggering a siren in the town of Netiv Ha’asara, north of the Gaza Strip. According to the Israel Defense Forces, the rocket did not cross into Israeli territory and landed on the Gaza side of the border.
The rocket interrupted a swimming event in Netiv Ha’asara, causing the evacuation of 80 children to nearby bomb shelters.
“The kids ran from the water straight to the shelter; they were very afraid,” Netiv Ha’asara resident Yifat Ben-Shushan told Israeli media.
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In retaliation, the IDF bombed a Hamas observation post along the northern Gaza border. No injuries were reported on either side.
The rocket attack represents the fifth such incident in the past two weeks, and follows a week of heightened tensions, exchanges of fire and threats between Israel and Hamas leaders and other terror groups in the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, four mortar shells were fired towards Israel—three landing in Gaza and another striking an open field in southern Israel—and three rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza on Sunday, causing some damage.
While Hamas has not taken responsibility for any of the recent rocket attacks, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas warned Israel earlier in the week that they would respond to “blatant Israeli aggression” after Israel targeted Iran and its proxies in the region.