After a period of relative calm, residents of the area returned to the protected areas • It is unclear whether the shooting was carried out by Hamas or by one of the rebellious factions

A red alarm was sounded tonight (Sunday) in Sderot and in the Gaza Envelope settlements. Residents in the area reported explosions, and it soon became clear that the Iron Dome system had identified and intercepted one launch towards Israel. The shooting took place during the opening of a drive-in complex in the city, where residents will be able to watch movies within the limits of the Corona. Dozens of frightened parents and children who were at the scene at the time ran to the protected areas to take shelter.

Radik Ashurov

In recent months, since the outbreak of the Corona crisis, Hamas and the rebellious factions in the Gaza Strip have refrained from launching rockets or mortar shells at Israel, except in a few isolated incidents. After the launch tonight, the IDF is expected to respond by attacking targets in the Gaza Strip, as it has done in the past in similar cases. 

In the coming days, a joint meeting of Hamas and Fatah is scheduled for the struggle to apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. Ahead of the conference, Hamas announced in advance that it would take action against Israel, and this may be the reason for launching tonight.

In the afternoon, a change of commanders ceremony was held in the Gaza Division. Brigadier General Nimrod Aloni replaced Brigadier General Eliezer Toledano, who has commanded the division for the past two years. "Hamas does not care about the children of the Gaza Strip," Toledano said at the ceremony. "Its people must stop digging tunnels like the wild animals and invest the concrete in building infrastructure for the homeless. They must stop producing rockets and use pipes to build proper water and sewage infrastructure for their children. They must stop sowing launchers and harvest rockets, and move to sowing wheat and harvesting grain."