Red alerts were activated at night in Sderot and in the surrounding communities • Another failed launch attempt landed in the Gaza Strip • Following the launches - the fishing space was reduced in response
After many hours of silence, a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel and the IDF said that a warning had been received regarding open areas and a launch had been identified.
About an hour later, another failed sugar was discovered, which apparently landed in the Gaza Strip.
During the night, a red alarm was activated in Sderot and settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip.
Following the launches, the coordinator of government operations in the territories, Major General Rassan Aliyan, announced a reduction in the fishing area around the Gaza Strip from 15 nautical miles to nine miles.
The spokesman said in a statement that "the decision was made in light of repeated terrorist acts by the Gaza Strip against Israeli citizens in recent days, which constitute a violation of Israeli sovereignty."
The head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, stated tonight that "Gaza emphasizes that Jerusalem is not alone and never will be. Gaza is ready in its resistance and its rockets to protect our people in al-Aqsa."
He added that "the resistance today is stronger, and the people are determined to continue - no matter what the victims will be, and that is our commitment."
Haniyeh threatened that "there will be no peace with the occupation if the Zionist entity continues to aggressively attack Jerusalem. We are facing a new chapter and a historic moment. We will continue on the path and not stand idly by."
In recent months, the IDF has changed its policy, and instead of responding to every shooting that night, as it has in recent years, the new policy is the "open book" policy, according to which for every shooting or incident of violence Israel will choose the time and place convenient for it.
The prevailing opinion at the top of the security establishment is that, in general, in the rounds of violence between Israel and Gaza that have taken place in recent years and have begun firing from the Gaza Strip, the rounds have not ended successfully enough for Israel.
This, among other things, is because it was not Israel that initiated the rounds of violence, but was dragged into them.
Tensions in the south and in Jerusalem: Ganz has a situation assessment with senior members of the defense establishment // Photo: Tal Oz, Ministry of Defense
This time, too, after firing about 40 rockets over the weekend, the defense establishment announced that "silence will be answered quietly," and the IDF's response to the rocket fire was relatively minor. Even after a few more rockets were fired on Saturday night, the IDF chose not to to respond.
It is no secret that Israel is interested in not being dragged into escalation in the Gaza arena now, especially when the understanding is that the source of the escalation in Gaza is the violence in Jerusalem and the upcoming elections in the Palestinian Authority.
But the fact that the chief of staff, Lt. Col. Aviv Kochavi, has announced that he is finally canceling his important and urgent trip to the United States, which is supposed to deal with urgent issues such as Iran, indicates that the IDF is seriously preparing for escalation.
The tone that came out of his office and the defense minister's office also seemed a little more militant.
Following the escalation in the south: Chief of Staff Kochavi has an assessment of the situation in the Gaza Division // Photo: IDF Spokesman
The IDF, meanwhile, has continued to prepare for a variety of escalation options in the coming days.
The chief of staff also met with the heads of local authorities in the region to discuss developments.
"In recent days, we have been dealing with escalation in the Palestinian arena in a number of sectors and are working to restore stability and calm to the southern communities," said Lt. Col. Kochavi, adding: A lot of deliberation on how to respond to the shooting from Gaza. In general, both in Israel and in Gaza, there is currently no interest in escalating the situation. "The IDF is prepared to respond forcefully, if and when required."
Defense Minister Bnei Gantz is also currently assessing the situation in the Tel Aviv campus with the participation of Chief of Staff Kochavi, Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman, and more. Gantz also threatened and his office said that at the end of the assessment of the situation, Gantz emphasized "the importance of the readiness of the forces and plans in case of escalation, as well as the preservation of contact with the councils in the Gaza Strip and the home front assessments." It was also stated that "the message to the Palestinians is that Israel respects the freedom of worship for everyone, and will do what is necessary to protect its citizens against all Israeli aggression."