After a long lull, residents of southern Israel once again had to sprint for fortified rooms and bomb shelters as Gaza terror groups fired some 40 rockets into Israeli territory.
The rocket attacks began late Friday night, stretching into Saturday morning; several more rockets were fired on Saturday night. Some of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system and the rest landed in empty fields. Some damage was reported. Several other rockets landed in Gazan territory.
The Israel Defense Forces responded to the rocket attacks with airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza, including rocket launchers and what the military described as “underground infrastructure.”
The groups in Gaza said the attacks were in response to the violent clashes between Palestinians and Jews and Israeli security forces in Jerusalem. In the wake of the attacks, the IDF announced that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi would postpone a scheduled trip to the United States. Hamas on Sunday called on the armed factions in Gaza to “keep their fingers on the trigger.”