Smoke and flames rise above buildings after Israeli air airstrikes in Gaza City, on July 5, 2023. Israel carried out air strikes on the Gaza Strip in response to rockets fired from the Palestinian coastal enclave, the army said. Photo by Getty Images

This article originally appeared on Haaretz, and was reprinted here with permission. Sign up here to get Haaretz’s free Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox.

Five rockets were launched overnight Wednesday from the Gaza Strip towards Israel in the wake of the operation in Jenin, all intercepted by the Iron Dome.

In response, Israel targeted what it said was an underground Hamas manufacturing facility for weapons, and another for rockets.

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)

“This strike significantly impeded the Hamas terrorist organization’s intensification and armament efforts,” the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement. “The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for all terror activities emanating from the Gaza Strip and will face the consequences of security violations against Israel,” it added.

Though intercepted by the Iron Dome, a fragment of one rocket hit a home in Sderot in Israel’s south, close to the border with Gaza. No one was injured, but there was minor damage to the house.

Another piece of an intercepted rocket was found in the yard of a house in Sderot, causing some damage but no injuries.

This rocket fire was the first from the Gaza Strip since the fighting with Islamic Jihad in May.

The operation in Jenin ended on Wednesday with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Jenin refugee camp. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that “The operation was successful, the camp lost capabilities and our situation is better, but we paid a heavy price.” Hagari was referring to the death of a soldier in the Egoz unit, Sergeant-Major David Yehuda Yitzhak, who was killed by live fire as the troops were withdrawing.

Earlier, one Palestinian was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a cemetery in Jenin, marking the 12th casualty of the operation in the city, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported.

On Tuesday night, Israeli Border Police and local police forces began prepping for violent responses in east Jerusalem. They had already received reports of Palestinians throwing stones at private buses in the a-Tur neighborhood in Jerusalem that resulted in light injuries to passengers.

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. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount