GAZA CITY/TEL AVIV: Israel fired on a target in the Gaza Strip, in response to a rocket attack, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said early on Tuesday. The foreign minister of Israel, Yair Lapid, is cutting his holiday in Spain short due to the rising tensions, and will be back in Israel by the evening, the Foreign Ministry reported on Tuesday
“In response to the launch from Gaza into Israel, we just targeted a Hamas weapons manufacturing site in Gaza,” the IDF said in a tweet. “The activist organisation Hamas is responsible for all terror activity emanating from the Gaza Strip.”
Israel sees Hamas as responsible for any firing from the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, Israel’s Iron Dome defence system intercepted a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, the first such attack in 2022.
In recent days, Palestinians have clashed with Israeli security forces on the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary site in Jerusalem. There were numerous injuries. The clashes further intensified tensions after violence in recent weeks.
The Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary is under an administration, while Israel is responsible for security. According to an agreement with the authorities, Jews are allowed to visit the site, but not to pray there. Palestinians accuse Israel of trying to expand the rights of observant Jews at the holy site.
A Hamas spokesperson said Israel’s air strike in Gaza had “failed.” The facility was empty and no one was injured, he said. He spoke of a “failed attempt to stop the Palestinian people from resisting the occupation and defending Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa Mosque.”
Last year, Hamas had fired rockets at Jerusalem on Jerusalem Day, on May 10. The group described the attack at the time as a response to Israel’s actions on the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary and in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
Israel then attacked targets in the coastal strip. During an 11-day conflict, 255 people were killed in Gaza at the time. In Israel, 14 people died as a result. – dpa