Rocket sirens go off in southern Israel
Rocket sirens have gone off in southern Israel near Gaza shortly after Tel Aviv reopened the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings into the Strip. There were no immediate reports of any injuries or damage.
The residents, however, said they heard explosions in the area, Israeli media reported.
The IDF later said that they “identified a launch within the Gaza Strip that did not cross into Israeli territory.” The military further explained that the sirens were triggered by a mortar shell launched from Gaza, which landed in the coastal Palestinian enclave.
On Saturday night, Palestinian militants launched five rockets at Israeli territory. The projectiles landed in open space without inflicting any damage. The incident provoked a military response from Tel Aviv, though. The Israeli tanks shelled “a number of Hamas military posts” in Gaza in retaliation to the attack, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed.
The incident also comes a day after mass protests in the Palestinian enclave, which is besieged by Israel since 2007. Up to 40,000 turned up to the rally to decry the occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza. The demonstration also marked the first anniversary of the ‘Great March of Return’ – a massive protest action launched by Palestinians last year, which further intensified in May 2018 after US President Donald Trump announced his controversial decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
At least three demonstrators were killed by IDF live fire during Saturday's protests, according to the Palestinian authorities.
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