Sirens heard near Gaza in apparent failed launch
Terror operatives attempt to fire rocket into Israel but first reports suggest it falls short
Rocket warning sirens blared in Israeli communities of the Eshkol Regional Council early morning Friday, in an apparent failed attack.
Walla News reported that a rocket launch was attempted from the Gaza Strip, but the missile did not hit Israel and may have fallen inside the Palestinian territory.
There were no reports of casualties on either side of the border.
Last Friday a rocket was fired from Gaza into Israel, hitting the Eshkol Region, but causing no casualties or damage.
Hamas arrested five people on Sunday suspected of firing the rocket. It also released a statement, on the same day, denying responsibility for the attack.
“Our people did not shoot the rocket and we are committed to the ceasefire,” the group said, according to Israel Radio.
Israel closed the border with Gaza for people and goods on Sunday in response to the attack. With the Gaza-Egypt border sealed following last week’s Sinai suicide attack, which killed 31 Egyptian troops, the narrow coastal strip is effectively sealed to the world.
The rocket last Friday was the second fired into Israel from Gaza since the end of Operation Protective Edge in August.