Palestinians Fire Rocket from Gaza at Southern Israel for Fourth Day in a Row

JERUSALEM (JTA) — At least one rocket was fired by Palestinians in Gaza at communities in southern Israel for the fourth day in a row.

The rocket landed in an open area in the Gaza border community of Nahal Oz on Saturday evening. No damage or injuries were reported.

Blue and White coalition head Benny Gantz, a former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, was visiting Nahal Oz at the time of the attack. It is not known if the Palestinians who fired the rocket knew that Gantz and other members of his party were in the area.

Earlier in the day, at least four clusters of balloons carrying homemade explosives floated from Gaza and landed in southern Israeli communities, including Sderot. Police sappers were called to disarm the bombs and dispose of them.

In response, Israel’s Air Force late on Saturday night launched air strikes on what it called “a number of Hamas targets in Gaza.”

At least three rockets and several mortar shells were fired on Friday at southern Israeli communities. Two were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. Several homes were damaged by shrapnel from the interceptions, according to Hebrew media reports.

The uptick in rocket fire from Gaza began a day after the Trump administration’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan was unveiled at the White House in Washington D.C.