A mortar shell fired from southern Gaza hit a building in Kibbutz Nirim on Sunday night after the Israeli army failed to intercept it due to “human error,” the Israel Defense Forces said following an initial investigation.
“Following the fallen mortar shell in the area of Nirim, the IAF conducted an initial inquiry tonight (Sunday),” the IDF stated. “The inquiry suggests that the mortar wasn’t intercepted due to human error. The lessons have been learned and will be implemented immediately.”
According to Ynet, the mortar strike caused minor damage to the kibbutz’s “youth neighborhood,” which is currently undergoing reconstruction after 24 homes were completely destroyed during Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, in which five residents were murdered.
“Following the sirens that sounded at 9 p.m. in Nirim, a projectile was identified crossing from the southern Gaza Strip into Israeli territory and falling in the area of Nirim,” said the IDF, adding that no injuries were reported in the latest Palestinian aerial attack from the enclave.
On Saturday, two projectiles fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel were shot down by the Israeli Air Force, with air-raid alerts activated in the area of Kibbutz Kissufim. No injuries or damage were reported.
The latest aerial attacks from the enclave came as efforts were underway by mediators to reach a deal to release the remaining 50 hostages, living and dead, being held by Hamas terrorists and forge a truce in the Strip.
“We will not accept the situation of continued firing into our territory,” said Eshkol Regional Council head Michal Uziyahu after the attack on Sunday. “We demand determination in changing the security reality, and we have no doubt that everything must be done now in order to reach a deal that will end the fighting and bring our loved ones home.”
Last week, the IDF canceled an order that defined communities near the border with Gaza as a closed military zone after government ministers voted that the area, including Nirim and Kissufim, was safe to return to.
