The terrorist organization Hamas took responsibility yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) for launching two rockets from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip into the Gush Dan area. One rocket fell into the sea, and the other did not cross into Israeli territory. Residents in the central area said that the echoes of explosions were heard, but no alarm was triggered. Al-Qassam Brigades announced that “we fired two M-90 rockets at Tel Aviv in response to the Zionist massacres of civilians and the intentional displacement of our people.”
An IDF spokesperson stated that “a short time ago, one launch was detected that crossed the territory of the Gaza Strip and fell in the maritime space in the center of the country. No policy alerts were triggered. At the same time, another launch was detected that did not cross into the territory of the country.”
This is the first rocket fire from the Gaza Strip since May – when eight rockets were fired from the Rafah area. Most of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome system, this is an unimaginable comparison to the thousands of rockets that were launched every day towards Israel at the beginning of the war.
Today’s rocket fire comes just before the upcoming summit on Thursday in which Israel and the mediators will participate, which was initiated by the mediators in an attempt to reach a hostage deal and a cease-fire with Hamas, in the hope that this will also affect regional tensions, and prevent a sharp reaction from Iran and Hezbollah, who have been threatening for the past two weeks to avenge the killings of senior officials in Beirut and in Tehran.
However, a report by the Wall Street Journal this afternoon indicates that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last night conveyed a message to mediators in the negotiations between the terrorist organization and Israel, according to which Hamas’s condition for participating in the talks is a complete cessation of military operations in Gaza.
The American newspaper emphasized that Israel is not likely to agree to Sinwar’s new demand, which he submitted ‘momentarily’ before the summit scheduled for this coming Thursday. In Israel, they already announced last Saturday evening their willingness to participate in the discussions and to send representatives to the summit, while in Hamas they are hardening their positions and announcing that they have no intention of participating in the negotiations.
The rocket fire emphasizes Hamas’s tough position, and hinders Israel’s ability to reach an agreement with it – a state of affairs that will probably cause Israel to continue destroying terrorist infrastructure and terrorists in Gaza, until the terrorist organization changes its mind.
