Israel accuses Islamic Jihad of sabotaging ceasefire with rocket fire

Israel announces a reduction in the size of the Gaza fishing zone in response to the rocket fire on Monday night. 

By World Israel News Staff

Israel is accusing the Islamic Jihad terror group, backed by Iran, of firing a rocket from Gaza toward Israel on Monday night in an attempt to sabotage a fragile cessation of violence between the Jewish state and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

The IDF reported that the rocket missed its intended target and landed in the Mediterranean Sea. Residents in a number of Israeli localities in the south reported hearing an explosion.

In response to the attack, Israel’s coordinator of government activities in the territories announced that the fishing zone for Gazans was being reduced from 15 to six nautical miles.

Israel has, over the course of time, cut or expanded the zone granted for fishing based on the security situation along the Israeli-Gazan border. It had been increased as part of the latest ceasefire understanding, reportedly mediated by Egypt, after a rocket fired from Gaza in March hit a house in a community north of Tel Aviv.

The IDF tweeted a photo and an accompanying post on Tuesday morning which read: “This is Bahaa Abu-Ala’ta, the Gaza Commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Last night, his operatives fired a rocket at Israel to bring about an escalation. Thankfully, the rocket landed in the sea.”

The Israeli military added that it “remains ready and committed to defend Israel against such terror.”

Earlier on Monday, smoke from exploded incendiary balloons could be seen along the border. Residents who live in the area have reported that even during times of overall calm, they continue to experience smaller-scale violence.

Explosive kites and balloons have set large fires in the fields of Israeli farmers, causing economic hardship and threatening lives.