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10 injured as Hamas mortars, rockets pummel aid entry point

Hamas forces in Rafah enclave fire rockets and mortars at border crossing, leaving 10 Israelis injured.

By World Israel News Staff

At least ten people were injured Sunday in a terrorist attack from the Gaza Strip on an Israeli border crossing.

An estimated ten rockets and mortars were fired Sunday afternoon from the area of Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip and the last remaining Hamas stronghold in the coastal enclave.

The projectiles struck near the Kerem Shalom crossing on the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza frontier. One private home in the nearby Kibbutz Kerem Shalom sustained a direct hit in the attack.

The Kerem Shalom crossing is one of the main entry points for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene to treat the injured and evacuate them to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

Of the ten victims, two are listed in serious condition, with a third in critical condition.

Shortly after the attack, the Israeli military closed the Kerem Shalom crossing, barring further entry of aid trucks through the checkpoint until further notice.

“Following the sirens that sounded in the area of Kerem Shalom, approximately 10 projectile launches were identified crossing from the area adjacent to the Rafah Crossing toward the area of Kerem Shalom,” and IDF spokesperson said. “The Kerem Shalom Crossing is currently closed to the passage of humanitarian aid trucks.”

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The Hamas terror organization claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the group’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades launched 114mm short-range Rajoum rockets.

The IDF intensified its air strikes on Hamas targets in response to the attack, the Israeli military said.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry accused Hamas of attempting to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, citing Sunday’s attack and other recent incidents.

“Hamas is intentionally preventing aid from reaching the people of Gaza,” the Ministry tweeted.

President Isaac Herzog echoed the Foreign Ministry’s claim in his own tweet.

“Hamas attack humanitarian aid because they don’t care for humanity. The world must act to release the hostages and free the people of Gaza from Hamas’s vicious rule.”