Image by Getty Images

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Sirens warning of rockets and mortars launched from Gaza sounded throughout the night Tuesday and early Wednesday morning, sending residents of southern Israel running for bomb shelters and safe rooms.

No one was injured in the barrages of projectiles fired overnight at southern Israeli communities.

A private home in the southern Israeli city of Netivot was struck by a rocket fired overnight from Gaza, causing damage.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Early on Wednesday morning, the Israeli military struck 25 Hamas targets in Gaza in retaliation for the barrages of rockets and mortars. Among the targets were rocket-propelled launchers, a factory for   rockets and rocket engines, advanced naval weapons, military compounds, training camps, and sites for the manufacture of weapons, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. The strikes early on Wednesday morning were in addition to the 35 targets attacked on Tuesday, including and extensive terror tunnel.

“The IDF is prepared for a variety of scenarios and is determined to act against the terrorist operatives and will continue to carry out its mission to protect the citizens of Israel,” the statement said.

Hamas on Wednesday morning announced that a cease-fire agreement had been reached. The IDF said it will refrain from attacking Gaza as long as there is calm.

From Tuesday morning at 7 until 5:17 a.m. Wednesday, Code Red rocket alert sirens were triggered at least 166 times in southern Israel, according to the IDF Home Front Command.

The United States on Tuesday evening called for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council over the firing of rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip. The meeting is expected to take place later on Wednesday.

Contact Haley Cohen at [email protected]

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount