Israel Strikes Back at Gaza After Ashdod Rocket Attack
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Israel’s Air Force attacked what the Israeli military called four “terrorist sites” in the Gaza Strip after a rocket attack from Gaza on southern Israel.
The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted over the southern Israeli port city of Ashdod at least one rocket fired from Gaza late on Monday night, the IDF said. No damage or injuries were reported.
The rocket, reported to be a long-range Grad-style rocket, was the first projectile to be fired from Gaza at Ashdod since last summer’s Gaza conflict with Israel.
The four targeted sites hit on Tuesday morning were part of the Hamas terror infrastructure, according to the IDF, which holds Hamas responsible for activity emanating from Gaza.
“The IDF will not tolerate any fire into Israel’s territory by terror groups and will continue to respond severely to any attempt to disturb the peace in the south. The terrorist organization Hamas is responsible,” the IDF said in a statement.
The Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade, a Salafist group affiliated with the Islamic State, reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack in posts on social media, saying it was in response to the killing last week of a Palestinian woman at a checkpoint in Hebron. Troops manning the checkpoint said the woman, 18, tried to stab soldiers there, a claim which has been disputed by a Palestinian eyewitness.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
