Ian Patrick, FISM News
The Israeli Defense Force confirmed that it issued retaliatory attacks on sites in the Gaza Strip after two attempted missile strikes from that area late on Wednesday.
A siren was heard going off in Southern Israel as the IDF noted on Twitter that a single “rocket was just fired from Gaza into Israel.” This missile reportedly landed in an open area in the city of Sderot. No one was hurt, although the shrapnel damaged a nearby house and car. All Israel News reports that one person was taken to the hospital suffering from “an anxiety attack” after the missile strike.
Sderot Mayor Alon Dividi responded to the attack saying, “It was a miracle no one was hurt. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure Sderot residents can enjoy the Passover holiday in peace.”
In response to this attack, IDF launched its own strike against what it called “terror targets in Gaza” saying they will “hold Hamas responsible.” These targets included “an underground complex used to produce rocket engines, a Hamas launch compound & anti-aircraft missile storage facility.”
In response to the rocket attack on Israel last night, we struck terror targets in Gaza, incl. an underground complex used to produce rocket engines, a Hamas launch compound & anti-aircraft missile storage facility.
We hold Hamas responsible for all terrorist activity in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/0s3fs0b8zU
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 21, 2022
Later IDF said, “Terrorists fired another 4 rockets from Gaza into Israel,” later confirming that the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted this attack.
Hamas released a statement on the retaliatory strike, saying it would only encourage Palestinians to “resist the occupation and step up their support for Jerusalem and its people,” according to reports from Reuters.
Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that he met with officials including Sderot Mayor Dividi to assure that security forces in that area will be “intensified” and prepared to deter any “terrorist activities.”
I now spoke with the heads of the councils in the Gaza Strip and the mayor of Sderot, together with Deputy Defense Minister Alon Schuster. Prior to the holiday, the forces and readiness in the sector will be intensified and the policy of harsh response against all terrorist activities will continue. I told them that Israel is prepared to make any move necessary to maintain the security of its citizens in attack and defense.
The cross-border strikes are the latest examples of intensified violence in Israel as the Muslim month of Ramadan coincides with both the Passover and Easter holidays. Nations including the United States have been called in to mediate the tensions between the Palestinian people and the Jewish state.
Most of the tensions are centered on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as it is currently the site of the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, with Israeli police forces and Palestinian protesters clashing on multiple occasions in the past week. The tensions have risen so high that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has decided to close the Temple Mount off to Jewish visitors until the end of Ramadan.
In response, right-wing Israelis organized a march throughout Jerusalem in protest. Hamas issued a threat following the march saying, “Israeli leadership will bear the full responsibility to the consequences of the flags’ march, as well as the dangerous and provocative measures.”