Amid rising tensions following death of prisoner Abu Hamdiyeh, rocket hits open area in south; no injuries or damage reported.
By JPOST.COM STAFFAshkelon man takes cover during code red siren 370(photo credit: Reuters/Amir Cohen)
A rocket hit an open area in southern Israel on Thursday, marking a third straight day of projectile fire after several months of calm. No Gaza militant group claimed responsibility for the latest launch.IDF Spokesperson Avital Leibovich tweeted: "Not such a good morning to residents of southern Israel where another rocket was fired from Gaza." No casualties or damage were reported.Tensions have risen rapidly in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip following the death from cancer on Tuesday of Maissara Abu Hamdiyeh, 64, who was serving a life sentence in an Israeli jail.The five-month truce between Israel and Hamas hung delicately in the balance on Wednesday, after a small global jihadi group in Gaza again targeted the town of Sderot with rocket fire, just as parents were bringing their children to schools and kindergartens.Two rockets exploded in open areas near Sderot on Wednesday, triggering alerts and sending frightened families fleeing for shelter, in scenes the IDF and senior defense officials vowed would not be tolerated.There were no injuries in Wednesday’s twin rocket blasts. Overnight Wednesday, the Israel Air Force struck two terror targets in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources said the bombs fell in open areas.The IAF strikes came in response to two Palestinian projectiles fired from Gaza at southern Israel on Tuesday, one of which fell in the Eshkol Region and the second inside Palestinian territory.Yaakov Lappin, Herb Keinon contributed to this report.
