Gaza terrorists launch barrage of rockets at Israel on night before Passover

Damage was done to a factory in Sderot. There were no casualties. The IDF retaliated, hitting a Hamas weapons site.

By JNS and World Israel News Staff

Sirens went off in Israel on Tuesday night—the night before Passover—as terrorists launched a total of 16 rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israel.

Ten rockets were launched overnight and six in two separate barrages in the early morning hours on Wednesday.

One of the rockets hit a factory in the Sderot industrial area, causing damage. No casualties were reported. Seven rockets fell in open areas while eight more were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system.

Videos on social media showed Israel’s Iron Dome shooting them down.

Israel’s security establishment estimates that Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is responsible for the attack. Since the beginning of the year, about 60 rockets have been launched from Gaza towards Israel.

In response to the attack, IDF fighter jets struck a weapon-manufacturing site and an additional weapon-manufacturing and storage site belonging to the terror group Hamas in the center of the Gaza Strip, the IDF reported.

“The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for all terror activity emanating from the Gaza Strip and it will face the consequences of the security violations against Israel,” the army said in a statement.

“In response to rocket fire from Gaza into Israel earlier, the IDF struck weapon manufacturing sites and a storage site belonging to Hamas, in addition to a military compound used for training terrorist operatives. IDF tanks also struck military posts along the security fence.”

On Wednesday morning, Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced the had requested to convene the security cabinet following the rocket attacks.

“The government I am a part of needs to respond strongly to the rocket fire from Gaza, Hamas rockets require a response beyond bombing dunes and unoccupied places,” Ben-Gvir wrote on his Twitter account.

“It’s time to lower heads in Gaza. It is forbidden to deviate from an equation that requires a serious reaction to each and every rocket.”