Rocket fire from Gaza reached central Israel on Sunday for the first time in several months, raising questions about Hamas’s capabilities.
The Israeli military said eight rockets were fired from the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where they have been conducting operations since May 6.
“Following the sirens that sounded in central Israel, eight projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Rafah into Israeli territory,” the military said, adding that “a number” of the rockets were intercepted by the aerial defence system.
Day-to-day life in central Israel had been largely unaffected by the conflict in Gaza
MARKO DJURICA/REUTERS
One person was injured by shrapnel after it fell in several locations, according to Israeli medics. When the sirens sounded just after lunchtime local time, coffee shops shuttered and people reacted with shock and surprise. Lifeguards closed the beaches for the rest of the day, although many beachgoers did not go home.
In a statement on its Telegram account, Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
The rocket fire comes as Israeli troops push forward in their offensive on Rafah, a city once full of more than a million refugees displaced by the war. According to the United Nations, more than 800,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah and its surrounding areas over the past three weeks, since Israel cordoned off the eastern parts and advanced into the southwest and towards the city centre.
Israel says the four remaining Hamas battalions are operating out of the city, with the latest rocket fire highlighting their remaining capacity to fire rockets into the heart of Israel.
On Friday, the International Court of Justice called on the country to rein in its offensive on Rafah, part of a case accusing Israel of genocide, which was brought by South Africa. It warned that continuing the operation could lead to the complete or partial destruction of the civilian population.
The Rafah crossing with Egypt, taken by Israel early in the offensive, remains closed for aid, supplies and emergencies, and it is unclear when it will reopen. According to the White House, US officials are due to head to Cairo this week to “support efforts to reopen the Rafah crossing”, while negotiating teams are also poised to go to the Egyptian capital in the hopes of reigniting stalled ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.
Benny Gantz, the chairman of the National Unity party, said of the recent barrage from Rafah: “The rockets shot from Rafah today prove that the IDF must operate in every place Hamas still operates from, and as such, the IDF will continue to operate wherever necessary. The world must know — those who still hold captive our hostages, shoot at our cities and continue to propagate terror —are responsible for the situation. Terrorist Hamas are war criminals, and we intend on making them pay for their crimes — sooner or later.”
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
