A Kassam rocket fired by terrorists in the Gaza Strip exploded early Wednesday morning in the Eshkol Regional Council area, located in the north-western Negev.
The rocket exploded near one of Israel’s southern central highways located near a densely populated community.
Code Red alarms sounded as the incoming rocket was detected. No injuries or damages were reported.
Wednesday’s attack marks the second time this week that alarms have sounded in Israel’s south due to rocket attacks from Gaza.
On Monday, terrorists fired a rocket towards Asheklon but the rocket failed to cross into Israeli territory. The rocket landed near the security fence on the Palestinian side.
On Saturday, a rocket fired from Gaza landed in an open area in the Sha’ar Hanegev region, causing no damage or injuries.
According to the IDF, since the start of 2014, approximately 140 rockets have been fired by terrorists operating in the Gaza Strip.
The latest rocket attack comes days after Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon warned the defense community that Hamas was readying for new clashes with Israel despite its unity pact with Fatah.
On Tuesday, Hamas urged members of its armed brigades to take up arms and act violently towards Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers in Judea and Samaria.
“Hamas signed the reconciliation pact from a position of disadvantage. It has no better alternative,” he stated to soldiers of the IDF’s Gaza Division.
“But make no mistake: Hamas is preparing itself for a confrontation with Israel, training forces and storing missiles and rockets,” he explained. “It already has thousands of missiles and rockets pointed towards Israel.”
Ya’alon made clear that Israel is “taking a very clear policy: quiet is being answered by quiet, and firing is being answered by a harsh response on our part.”
