The Israeli army struck the Gaza Strip early Friday, hours after four rockets were fired at Israel from the Hamas-run Palestinian territory.
Israel’s defense forces said it carried out an airstrike on a “unique” underground rocket-making facility used by the Hamas terror group.
This published a satellite image. What is said about it was the site, which shows an area near several buildings and agricultural plots on the northwest edge of al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza. It said it was the third such facility since April.
The IDF said in a statement just before 4 a.m., “This attack was carried out in response to launches from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory earlier this evening.”
The commander of the IDF Southern Command’s so-called “fire center,” which coordinates the unit’s offensive operations, said the site was bombarded with 19 tons of ammunition.
“This will in turn undermine the efforts of the Hamas terrorist group to equip and arm itself,” said Colonel Youd, who could only be identified by his Hebrew initials. can
Imagine the amount of mental illness among the people of Gaza as a result of the Israeli bombing this night! pic.twitter.com/Jtm1MG8tXr
— Ahmed Hijazi ???????????? (@ahmedhijazee) November 4, 2022
The Palestinian Shihab news agency said a “resistance position” in al-Maghazi had been hit.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Images shared on social media show fireballs and smoke billowing from airstrikes in Gaza. Unconfirmed video footage shows successive strikes repeatedly hitting the same area as jets are heard screeching overhead.
Photographs of the airstrikes carried out by the Israeli planes on the 13th Battalion of the Palestinian Resistance in Al-Maghazi camp in the middle of the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/NsdYOXFaHh
— Shehab Agency (@ShehabAgency) November 4, 2022
During the attacks, Palestinians apparently fired heavy machine gun fire at Israeli aircraft over the coastal area. At least one house in the southern city of Sderot was hit by a large bullet as it fell back to the ground.
Heavy machine gun fire from Gaza apparently hit a house in Sderot amid IDF attacks. pic.twitter.com/ihovAa5Ugu
— Emmanuel (Manny) Fabian (@MannyFabian) November 4, 2022
The retaliatory strike came after four rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
According to the Israeli military, one rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system over the border town and the other three fell in the Strip.
There were no reports of any loss of life or property following the rocket attacks.
No Palestinian group has claimed responsibility for the launches, but the IDF says it blames Hamas.
The rocket fire occurred hours after a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad was killed during an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin. The Gaza-based PIJ identified Farooq Salama as a “commander” of the terrorist group.
In a joint statement, the IDF and border police said Salama was involved in the killing of a veteran police commando earlier this year, and was planning more attacks.
In this unidentified photo, Farouk Salama is seen wearing a Palestinian Islamic Jihad uniform in the West Bank city of Jenin. (social media)
Israel typically responds with airstrikes against Hamas positions regardless of which group is attacking, noting that it is responsible for any attacks from the area. More rarely, it has responded to Islamic Jihad, if a terrorist group has claimed responsibility.
The last time Israel fired rockets from the coastal area was in August during a three-day war against Islamic Jihad, during which it fired about 1,175 rockets.
Tensions have risen in the West Bank recently as the IDF has stepped up operations against terrorism that are mostly concentrated in the northern West Bank, although the violence has not generally spread to Gaza.
The campaign led to more than 2,000 arrests in overnight raids, but also killed more than 125 Palestinians, many — but not all — in attacks or clashes with security forces.
Earlier on Thursday, Israel said it was removing checkpoints inside and outside the city of Nablus. The sanctions were imposed weeks ago by Israel, which imposed restrictions on the city in response to a new terrorist group known as Lion’s Den. The army has carried out repeated operations in the city in recent weeks, killing or arresting the group’s top commanders.
The IDF’s counter-terrorism operation in the West Bank was launched earlier this year following a series of Palestinian attacks that killed 19 people.
An Israeli man was killed in an attack in Hebron on Saturday, another woman was killed in a suspected attack in September, and four soldiers have been killed in the West Bank during attacks and arrest operations.
