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A bag containing an explosive device from the events of October 7 was discovered in an open area at the entrance to the southern town of Netivot. The bag had Arabic writing on it, and the explosive device was found inside.
Police officers from the Netivot station located the bag and the explosive device. "An initial examination by a bomb disposal expert suggests this may be equipment left behind by terrorists who attempted to infiltrate Netivot during the terrorist attack on October 7 but were confronted by police and local security forces who worked to secure the city," police said in a statement.
Southern District police bomb disposal experts are currently working to neutralize and examine the device.
Netivot came under significant rocket fire during the war in Gaza, in a city where many do not have appropriate protected bomb shelters.
On January 1, 2025, at midnight, sirens were activated in Netivot and nearby communities, warning of rocket and missile fire following two launches from central Gaza. One rocket was intercepted, and the other fell in an open area. In addition to Netivot, sirens were also activated in the communities of Ma'agalim, Geva'ot, Melilot, and Shibolim. Magen David Adom (MDA) reported that no injuries were recorded.
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About an hour later, IDF spokesperson for Arabic media, Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, issued an evacuation warning for residents of four blocks in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. The warning stated: "This is an advance warning before an attack. Terrorist organizations continue to fire rockets from this area, which has been warned multiple times in the past. For your safety, move immediately to a humanitarian zone."
In Netivot, residents are left feeling helpless in the face of rocket fire from Gaza. Elderly residents and those without fortified shelters, especially in older neighborhoods, remain unprotected against the barrages. Nearly 60 homes in the city were damaged by rocket fire during the early stages of the war in October 2023.
On October 7, security forces managed to eliminate terrorists heading toward Netivot, but dozens of rockets were fired at the city, one of which struck a home. The house was destroyed, and three generations of a single family were killed. Hannah Maskelchi lost her husband, Netanel, her 12-year-old son, Rafael, and her father, Rafael Fahimi.