A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel on March 27, prompting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to retaliate later in the day.
The IDF tweeted that thousands of Israelis are currently in bomb shelters and that the IDF is responding with strikes against Hamas posts in Gaza.
“As the world fights COVID-19, we must also fight terror,” the IDF tweeted. “And we’ll defeat them. Both.”
A rocket was fired from #Gaza at Israeli civilians earlier tonight. We just responded by striking Hamas terror targets in Gaza.
As•the•world•fights•COVID19
We•must•also•fight•terror
And we’ll defeat them. Both.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 27, 2020
According to The Times of Israel, the rocket was fired toward Sderot but landed in an open field and didn’t cause any damage. The IDF holds Hamas responsible for all rocket attacks emanating from Gaza.
The American Jewish Committee tweeted, “Take a moment to imagine this: You’re in quarantine sheltering from a pandemic. Then a siren goes off, warning that a rocket could be heading right at you. What do you do? Stay or run to the bomb shelter? In Israel, this is not a hypothetical. It is happening right now.”
Take a moment to imagine this:
You're in quarantine sheltering from a pandemic.
Then a siren goes off, warning that a rocket could be heading right at you.
What do you do? Stay or run to the bomb shelter?
In Israel, this is not a hypothetical.
It is happening right now. https://t.co/ypJHg7X4I0
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) March 27, 2020
There are currently 3,035 cases of coronavirus in Israel and 12 deaths. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a March 27 statement that if there isn’t a decline in cases over the next couple of days, the country will be forced to go into full lockdown.
In Gaza, there are currently nine coronavirus cases.
