WarSclerotic

Mortar shell fired from Gaza at Israel, Times of Israel, Stuart Winer, September 16, 2014

(Whoops? — DM)

A rocket is fired from Gaza City towards Israel, Saturday, August 9, 2014. (illustrative photo credit: AP/Dusan Vranic)

Hamas denies it launched projectile; IDF searching for impact site in the Eshkol Region.

A mortar shell was fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel on Tuesday evening, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed, the first since a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on August 26.

The Red Alert rocket warning system did not sound and the IDF said it was searching for the impact point that was believed to be somewhere near the border fence in the Eshkol Regional Council.

Army Radio reported that Eshkol residents heard an explosion nearby. However, Ynet reported that the rocket may have landed near the fence inside the Gaza Strip.

No injuries or damage were reported.

Hamas denied that it was responsible for the launch.

The fire came hours after Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said he did not think Hamas would resume rocket fire on Israel.

Eshkol Regional Council head Haim Yallin said that it was still unclear whether the launch was part of a Hamas training session gone wrong, or whether it was directed at Israel, Ynet reported.

“We will not accept sporadic fire at our communities,” he added. “Israel’s leadership will evaluate how it chooses to protect its residents. We expect the government to act to bring quiet to the region.”

On Monday, the Code Red siren sounded near the Gaza Strip in what the IDF said was a false alarm.

Gaza border towns came under daily rocket fire over the course of a seven-week conflict between Israel and Hamas that ended when the two sides agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire. Some 4,600 rockets and projectiles were fired at Israel during the 50-day conflict.

The deal called for an immediate end to hostilities and easing of restrictions on movement of personnel and goods through the crossings into Gaza that Israel controls.

(UPDATE: According to Israel National News, the IDF has confirmed

that a mortar shell fired from Gaza and landed on the Israeli side of the security fence, in the first such attack by Gaza terrorists since the ceasefire went into effect on August 26.

There have been mixed reports on the precise nature of the projectile fired, with Channel 10 saying the attack was a mortar shell as opposed to a rocket; likewise, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner labeled it a mortar shell on the IDF’s official Twitter feed. However, nearly all other major Israeli media sources have identified it as a rocket attack.

No “color red” warning siren was sounded prior to the rocket which was fired around 6:30 p.m., and which caused no damage or injuries.

— DM)

This entry was posted on September 16, 2014 at 9:14 PM and is filed under Uncategorized. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: IDF, Israel