Sirens silent as Gaza rocket hits southern Israel

IDF says the rocket landed in an open area near Kibbutz Nahal Oz and no injuries or damage had been reported; Home Front Command says it knew the rocket was heading for open area and did not activate the alert system
Matan Tzuri |
A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening, landed in southern Israel without a siren ringing off to alert the locals of an incoming fire, the military confirmed.
  • Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

  • The IDF said the rocket landed in an open area near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, which is in Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council that borders Gaza. No injuries or damage had been reported.
    2 View gallery
    רקטה ששוגרה מרצועת עזה התפוצצה ליד נחל עוז
    רקטה ששוגרה מרצועת עזה התפוצצה ליד נחל עוז
    Rocket launched from Gaza on Tuesday evening
    (Photo: Dedi Fold )
    The Home Front Command, which operates the rocket alert system, said they did not sound the siren on purpose since they could identify the projectile was heading for an open area.
    The IDF struck several Hamas outposts in the Gaza Strip in response to the rocket fire.
    The incident comes only a day after two rockets were fired from the Palestinian territory toward the city of Ashdod, which both landed in the sea.
    The military responded by striking Hamas military targets, including sites for digging underground tunnels, some of which stretch into Israel.
    2 View gallery
    רקטות משוגרות מרצועת עזה לעבר ישראל
    רקטות משוגרות מרצועת עזה לעבר ישראל
    Rocket being launched from Gaza into Israel
    (Photo: Reuters)
    "The IDF takes very seriously any terrorist activity against Israel and is prepared and ready to act as resolutely as necessary against attempts to harm Israeli citizens and their sovereignty," the IDF said on Monday. "The terrorist organization Hamas bears responsibility for what is happening in and out of the Gaza Strip, and it will bear the consequences for the terrorist acts against the citizens of Israel."
    While militant rocket attacks and Israeli retaliatory artillery and aerial strikes are frequent, they have largely been subdued in recent months due to the coronavirus outbreaks in both territories.
    Associated Press contributed to this report
    Comments
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    ""