Gaza rocket strikes southern Israel; no injuries or damage

Residents of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council report hearing a loud ‘boom’; IDF troops launch search of the area

Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.

A masked Hamas member carries a model of a rocket during a rally in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 12, 2014. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
A masked Hamas member carries a model of a rocket during a rally in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 12, 2014. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck southern Israel on Sunday night, as air-raid sirens sounded in multiple communities in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council, the IDF said.

Residents of Sha’ar HaNegev, a group of communities bordering the Gaza Strip, said they heard a loud “boom,” but no injuries or damage were reported.

The Israel Defense Forces said that the rocket had landed in an open area. Israeli troops were searching the area, the army said.

Last month, a rocket fired from Gaza also struck an open field in the Sha’ar Hanegev area. In response, the Israeli Air Force struck multiple Hamas outposts in the Strip.

The rocket strike comes as Hamas demands the release of prisoners held in Israeli jails in exchange for information on the fate of two IDF soldiers declared killed in action during last summer’s Gaza war.

Most Popular
read more:
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.