Hamas fires rockets into the sea in warning to Israel

Gaza residents cheer as the terror group launches at least four rockets into the Mediterranean.

By JNS and World Israel News Staff

The Hamas terror group fired at least four rockets into the Mediterranean Sea on Monday in a show of force amid an uptick in violence along the Gaza-Israel border in recent days.

The launch, cheered by Gaza residents, was intended as a warning to Israel. It included the “message” that the armed resistance in Gaza will not “remain silent” in the face of Israeli aggression, a source close to the Hamas terror group, which rules the Strip, told AFP.

The increase in tensions with Gaza appears to be due to Hamas’s concern that the regular deliveries of Qatari aid to the Gaza Strip may cease after September.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces struck a Hamas target in the northern Gaza Strip in response to the ongoing launches of explosives-laden balloons from the Palestinian territory into Israel.

In a brief statement, the army said an aircraft had struck a Hamas observation post.

Earlier Sunday, amid rising tensions along the border, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz convened a situational assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi. The two decided not to tolerate the continued campaign of cross-border terrorism via incendiary and bomb-laden balloons.