Four rockets fired from the Gaza Strip hit the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council late Sunday night. The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted two rockets and two hit open areas. No injuries or damage were reported.Islamic Jihad didn't take responsibility for the rockets, but it sure looks like they are behind them.
Another two rockets were launched at the Bnei Shimon Regional Council. Both exploded in open areas and no injuries or damage were reported.
In response to the rocket fire, Israeli aircraft attacked in Gaza overnight, and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon ordered the closure of the border crossings between Israel and the Hamas-ruled territory. The IDF estimates Islamic Jihad was behind the rocket fire.
Following a meeting with top Southern Command officials and the head of IDF intelligence, Chief of Staff Benny Gantz instructed the army to launch airstrikes against four terror targets in central and south Gaza. The targets, including a rocket-launching pad and a weapons cache, belong to Islamic Jihad. The terror group apparently launched the rocket attack as an act of defiance against Gaza's rulers. However, the army is not ruling out the possibility that extremist Salafists were behind the attack.
Tensions between Islamic Jihad and Hamas have been mounting following the recent death of an Islamic Jihad terrorist at the hands of Hamas' security forces during clashes. Islamic Jihad announced it was severing ties with Hamas for the time being.
"We're pretty shocked at the whole thing," said Sigal Moran, head of the Bnei Shimon Regional Council. "I still hope it was a mistake and not the beginning of another era of emergency routine."
In their statement on Israel's retaliation, they say that Israel never stopped its aggression, and that Israel is responsible for everything that happens in Gaza - including any friction between PIJ and Hamas, since Israel is the only beneficiary to internal disputes. The statement added that Israels response proves that Israel is the main enemy Gazans should be concerned with, echoing their statement yesterday after Hamas killed their member.
Their coverage does not admit that Gaza rockets were shot first.
So it seems likely that PIJ wanted to force an Israeli reaction to embarrass Hamas into stopping their policing of Gaza terror groups.