Israel strikes Hamas in Gaza in response to overnight rocket attacks

Israeli air strikes targeted Hamas sites in Gaza overnight in response to several separate rocket attacks launched from the Strip at cities and villages in southern Israel. 

“Overnight,  in response to rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, the IDF struck an underground rocket manufacturing site belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a statement.

The first rocket attacks were launched just over midnight Israel time, one of which targeted the city of Askhelon in southern Israel.

The attacks came after Islamic Jihad and Hamas had warned Israel it would respond to an army raid in Jenin in the West Bank on Thursday morning, which left 9 Palestinians killed, including several members of Islamic Jihad as well as 61-year-old civilian woman.

IDF said it raided Jenin to prevent an “ticking time bomb” in the form of an Islamic Jihad cell planning terror attacks against Israelis.

Islamic Jihad issued a statement after the raid, saying “the resistance is everywhere and ready and willing for the next confrontation,” while Hamas  said Israel “will pay the price for the Jenin massacre. Our resistance will not break, and our response will come soon.”

The Palestinian Authority also reacted harshly to the raid in Jenin, announcing it would halt security cooperation with Israel immediately.

Thursday’s escalation comes after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir warned that another Gaza war was “imminent,” without providing further information.

This marks the first big test for the new ultranationalist government led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, with security cabinet members like Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Smotrich advocating for a hardline against Palestinians.