Five rockets fired from Gaza at south, intercepted by Iron Dome — IDF

No injuries in attack at tail end of military raid in Jenin, but home hit by interceptor shrapnel; fire first since May 14 truce ending 5-day flareup with Islamic Jihad

By Emanuel Fabian 5 July 2023, 2:35 am Edit

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Illustrative: Shrapnel rains down over southern Israel, near the city of Sderot, after five rockets launched from the Gaza Strip are intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system, July 5, 2023. (Courtesy)
Illustrative: Shrapnel rains down over southern Israel, near the city of Sderot, after five rockets launched from the Gaza Strip are intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system, July 5, 2023. (Courtesy)

A salvo of five rockets was launched from the Gaza Strip at southern Israel early Wednesday morning, the military said, in what appeared to be a response by terror groups to a deadly army raid in the West Bank city of Jenin.

The Israel Defense Forces said the rockets, which triggered alarms in the southern city of Sderot and other nearby towns, were all intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.

There were no reports of injuries in the rocket attack.

A home in Sderot was lightly damaged by Iron Dome shrapnel, according to Hebrew-language media, which published a picture showing a hole in a ceiling. No injuries were reported.

The inhabitants had been in a bomb shelter when the home was hit, according to the Kan public broadcaster.

Footage posted to social media showed the moment the incoming projectiles were intercepted.

The rocket fire was the first from the coastal enclave since May 14, at the tail end of a five-day flareup in violence between the IDF and Islamic Jihad in Gaza.

The rocket attack came as Israeli troops pulled back from Jenin following a 44-hour-long incursion targeting terror groups in the Palestinian refugee camp adjacent to the West Bank city.

An Israeli soldier was killed in a shooting attack as operations wound down Tuesday evening, the IDF said. Palestinian health officials said 13 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in the fighting.

Over the past year, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group has responded with rocket fire from Gaza when West Bank-based members were killed by Israel.

Still, there was no immediate claim by any of the Gaza-based terror groups for the rocket fire early Wednesday.

The IDF was expected to respond to the rocket attack, risking sending the region spiraling back into another round of intense fighting.

On Tuesday, a Hamas terrorist rammed his car into a crowded Tel Aviv bus stop and began stabbing people, wounding eight, including a pregnant woman who reportedly lost her baby. The attacker was killed by an armed bystander. Hamas said the attack was revenge for the Israeli offensive.

Israel generally retaliates with airstrikes against sites belonging to Gaza’s rulers, the Hamas terror group, regardless of the group launching the attack, noting that it is responsible for any attacks emanating from the territory. More rarely, it has directed its response at Islamic Jihad, if the terror group claimed responsibility.

The IDF had already been on high alert for potential rocket fire from Gaza in response to the Jenin raid, with authorities canceling a large concert in the southern city of Sderot on Monday, although no other precautions were issued.

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