Two rockets were fired at Israel from the Khan Younis area.
By Rachel Avraham
At 7:44am, the bomb sirens were sounded in Netivot and other areas in the Gaza vicinity. The IDF reported that two rockets were identified—one intercepted and the other fell in an open area, Arutz Sheva reported. Magen David Adom stated that no casualties were reported from the rocket fire.
The Times of Israel reported that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. Yedioth Achronot reported that both rockets were launched from the Khan Younis area.
It was the first time in three weeks that a rocket from Gaza managed to cross into Israeli territory — 702 days after Hamas’ October 7 massacre, Yedioth Achronot reported. In recent weeks, several alerts were triggered in southern Israel due to suspected launches, though most turned out to be false alarms, Yedioth Achronot added.
Aside from the 12-day war with Iran last June, this was only the second time in 2025 that rocket sirens were activated in Netivot, Yedioth Achronot stressed. According to the report, the previous incident occurred just after midnight on January 1, as Israelis rang in the New Year.
In July, the IDF lifted restrictions that had designated Gaza border communities as closed military zones since the October 7 massacre. The decision followed a government vote declaring there was no longer a “security impediment” to residents returning to their homes in the western Negev.
Netivot was also on the map of Hamas targets on the morning of October 7th. Several squads of terrorists headed toward the city, but they were thwarted thanks to a quick response by defense forces at checkpoints at the entrance to the city and on the roads leading to it. The Hamas Nukhba terrorists who raided the Nova Music Festival near Re’im on the morning of the October 7 massacre intended to reach Netivot but made a mistake in their navigation, according to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, releasing details of the IDF probe into the October 7 events.
Following the October 7th massacre, thousands of people from Sderot, Ofakim, Netivot, Ashkelon and beyond left their homes amid the countless Hamas rocket attacks that have pummeled Israel. However, the poorer residents of the city, who did not have relatives to host them and were unable to work remotely, remained behind despite the danger.
In recent days, the IDF has intensified pressure and carried out airstrikes on targets in Gaza City ahead of its planned ground assault, as decided by the security cabinet, Arutz Sheva reported. According to the report, the IDF’s aim is to warn the population that the maneuver is expected to begin and to encourage residents to evacuate the city. Subsequently, the IDF is expected to encircle the city and begin the ground operation.
Photo from Oneindia News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lyGnYeDPKk
