Gaza Strip: Israel fires on Hamas target | tagesschau.de

The Israeli army bombed a target in the Gaza Strip overnight. A Hamas arms factory was hit. A few hours earlier, a rocket had been fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel.

In response to a rocket attack, Israel fired on a target in the Gaza Strip overnight. In the south of the coastal strip, the air force destroyed a weapons workshop belonging to the radical Islamist Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said. There was no information about casualties after the attack.

As Israeli media reports, the rocket is said to have been fired from the Gaza Strip by the terrorist organization Islamic Jihad. An army spokesman said Hamas was responsible for what was happening in Gaza. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US and the EU.

First attack since the beginning of the year

A Hamas spokesman said an attack on “empty targets” was a failed attempt to stop the Palestinian people from defending Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa Mosque. According to media reports in Israel, Hamas has approached Israel through Egyptian mediators with the message that it has no interest in a further escalation.

Yesterday, militant Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket at the Israeli border area for the first time in several months. The missile was intercepted by the iron dome missile defense system, the army said. According to reports, there was no damage. It was the first attack of this type since the beginning of the year.

Tensions intensified after wave of terror

The altercation is linked to clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, sacred to Muslims and Jews. There were numerous injuries. The clashes further intensified tensions after a wave of terror in recent weeks.

The Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. The Islamist organization Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, had described the Al-Aqsa Mosque as a “red line” and accused Israel of attacks on believers. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, on the other hand, spoke of Hamas’ “wild hate campaign” against Israel. “This is the truth: Israel is doing everything to ensure that everyone can celebrate their festivals safely as always – Jews, Muslims and Christians,” he said, according to his office.

The Temple Mount is under Muslim administration while Israel is responsible for security. According to an agreement with the Muslim authorities, Jews can visit the facility but not pray there. The Palestinians accuse Israel of wanting to expand the rights of believing Jews on the holy site.

With information from Eva Lell, ARD Studio Tel Aviv