Terrorists in Gaza’s Khan Younis area on Monday morning launched a volley of some 20 rockets towards Israeli border towns, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
A number of rockets impacted in open areas inside Israeli territory, while air-defense systems intercepted several others, the IDF stated, adding that no damage or casualties were reported.
“IDF forces are now attacking the sources of the fire with artillery,” said the army.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad took responsibility for the attack, claiming to have targeted Kibbutz Kissufim, Ein Hashlosha, Nirim, Sufa and Holit “with concentrated rocket barrages in response to the crimes of the Zionist enemy against our Palestinian people.”
One week ago, Islamic Jihad launched two rockets toward the southern coastal city of Ashkelon and the border town of Kibbutz Mefalsim. Both were intercepted.
Early last month, the IDF revealed that since the start of the war, more than 19,000 rockets have been launched into Israel, mainly from Gaza.
The tally does not include rockets that fall short of Israeli territory. Nor does it include Hezbollah anti-tank missiles, which the Lebanese terror group has repeatedly launched across the northern border since Oct. 8.
On June 23, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that with the fighting in Gaza winding down, the IDF will deploy more troops to the northern border.
“The intense phase of the fighting against Hamas is about to end,” the premier told Israel’s Channel 14, adding: “It doesn’t mean that the war is about to end, but the war in its intense phase is about to end in Rafah.”
He added that the Israeli military would continue to “mow the grass” in Gaza constantly to prevent the enclave from becoming a threat again.
