Gaza rocket fire prompts IDF retaliatory strike

The IDF says it destroyed two “terror infrastructures” in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday in response to the firing of a rocket at Israel by a Palestinian terror group from the territory.

Israel Air Force planes bombed two targets in central and northern Gaza, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said.

“The IDF sees in the terror group Hamas the sole responsible party for what is happening in Gaza, and will continue to act aggressively to ensure the safety of [Israel’s] southern towns,” the army said.

There was no immediate report of damage or casualties from the IDF strike.

Palestinian terrorists fired a rocket from the Gaza Strip at Israel on Tuesday evening. The rocket landed next to the border fence separating the Palestinian territory from the Jewish state, although it remains unclear whether it landed inside Gaza or Israel.

There were no reports of injuries or damage, and rocket alert sirens were not activated as the rocket did not approach Israeli population centers.

Earlier in the day, an errant launch of the Iron Dome missile defense system triggered air raid sirens in communities bordering Gaza, sending residents running for their air raid shelters.

The IDF confirmed that there had not been rocket fire from Gaza at the time, but did not provide further details as to what caused the incident.

Channel 2 television reported that the Iron Dome’s sensitive radar system had misidentified bullets from light weapons fire in Gaza as a rocket heading toward Israel.

The Iron Dome interceptor streaked across the sky before exploding harmlessly in midair.

Hamas, the Islamist terror group that rules the Gaza Strip, launched a rocket from northern Gaza into the Mediterranean Sea last week, in what Israel believes was likely a test of the group’s rockets rather than an attempt to hit Israeli territory.

The missile was probably fired during an exercise by Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the Walla news site reported at the time.

The Gaza border region has suffered sporadic rocket fire recently, much of it emanating from Salafist groups within the Palestinian enclave challenging Hamas rule.