Palestinians in Gaza fire rocket toward southern Israel
No injuries or damage as missile explodes in open field on Gaza side of border, rattling Sha'ar HaNegev communities
Alert sirens sounded in southern Israel on Thursday evening as a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed close to the border fence on the Gaza side, near a kibbutz in the Sha’ar HaNegev region.
The rocket landed in an open field. No damage or injuries were reported.
Local residents heard the rocket alert siren followed by a loud thud, according to Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council spokeswoman Michal Shaban-Kotzer.
Last month, rockets fired from Gaza exploded in open areas in southern Israel.
In response, Israel’s air force struck two installations it described as “terror targets” in Gaza.
The Gaza border region has suffered sporadic rocket fire recently, much of it coming from Salafist groups within the Strip who challenge Hamas’s rule there.
Israel regularly retaliates for such attacks with limited strikes on Hamas targets, saying it holds the group responsible for any violence.