Israel bombs Hamas targets in response to cross-border fire

Israel’s Air Force (IAF) attacked several Hamas targets Wednesday evening in response to several Hamas mortar attacks on IDF troops operating on the border with Gaza in the past two days.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

An IDF spokesman said four Hamas targets were hit in the northern Gaza Strip in one attack, and earlier on the IAF struck five Hamas targets in the south of the Strip.

Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s incidents consist of a serious escalation on the border, as it was the first time since Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014 that Hamas terrorists fired mortar shells at IDF targets.

The IDF has been operating on the border with Gaza to detect cross-border terror tunnels, and Hamas’ attacks are apparently an attempt to disrupt their actions.

Hamas spokesman in Gaza Moshir al-Masri warned Israel against “testing Hamas’s patience and the patience of the other Palestinians parties.”

Hamas launched its sixth and latest attack against the IDF late Wednesday attack. There were no Israeli casualties in any of the attacks attacks.

“Overnight, a mortar round was fired at IDF during operational activities near the border area with northern Gaza. No injuries reported,” IDF spokesman Peter Lerner stated Thursday morning.

The IDF “will continue to operate in order to protect the civilians of Israel from all Hamas terrorist threats above and beneath ground,” he added. “Our efforts to locate and destroy the Hamas tunnel network are our main priority. This is an unacceptable threat.”

Israel has sent strong messages to Hamas through various channels saying that if the mortar fire continues, Israel will respond harshly, Israel’s Ynet reported.