Gaza terrorists fire rocket at Israel; IAF retaliates

Palestinian terrorists fired a rocket at Israel, and the IAF responded by attacking terror targets. Critics say that the government must put an end to this situation, once and for all.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

Palestinian terrorists fired a rocket at Israel’s civilian population in southern Israel on Tuesday night. The rocket exploded in an unpopulated area near Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, causing no injuries or damage.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) responded by attacking terror targets in Gaza. According to reports, the IAF attacked the launching pad from which the rocket was fired.

The past month has seen a sharp increase in rocket attacks emanating from Gaza. Tuesday’s attack was the fourth this month, and a total of five rockets were fired at Israel.

A Salafist terror organization linked with the Islamic State (ISIS)  claimed responsibility for the attack.

Despite this, the IDF has placed full responsibility for the attack on the Hamas terror organization, which controls the Strip. “Hamas is the address and it bears responsibility,” the IDF announced.

“This evening’s rocket attack from Gaza, just one day after UN Report, is a reminder of the cynical enemy that Israel faces,” IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner tweeted, relating to the UN report published earlier this week that accused Israel of committing war crimes during Operation Protective Edge.

“Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve normal lives, not constant threats. Hamas is responsible for aggression originating from Gaza,” he added.

Yair Farjoun, head of the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council in the south, which is regularly struck by rockets, called on the IDF to act with decisiveness. “Our fears are becoming a reality. We don’t care who is firing at us. Hamas is responsible and must not be allowed to dictate our daily routine,” he asserted.

Former Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said that Israel cannot accept the sporadic rocket fire.

“Those who are willing to absorb trickling will eventually face torrential rains [of rockets]. We must not accept this situation,” he stated.

Liberman, a member of the Opposition, criticized the government, saying it “has no right to exist if it accepts a reality in which less than a year after a military operation that cost us dearly in soldiers’ lives and the disruption of the country’s life for two months, the reality is returning where residents of the south must again run to shelters.”

“This situation is intolerable, unacceptable and we must put an end to it,” he declared.