After Fierce Military Exchange, Tentative Calm Restored Between Israel & Hamas

The Israeli military conducted dozens of air strikes in the Gaza Strip beginning Monday evening and ending – at least temporarily – early Tuesday morning, in response to a rocket attack that injured at least seven civilians in central Israel earlier on Monday. Among the Israel Air Force’s targets was a “secret” Hamas headquarters and the office of the terror group’s chief, Ismael Haniyeh. Israeli army tanks also shelled numerous Hamas outposts. During the exchange, some 60 projectiles were fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, with many intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system. The rest fell in open areas, causing no injuries or damage. The hostilities came to a halt at approximately 3 a.m., some five hours after reports surfaced of an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire. However, Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan suggested Tuesday morning that Jerusalem “will continue to exact a very heavy price from Hamas for its attacks on Israeli citizens.” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu cut short a trip to Washington and returned to Israel to oversee a security cabinet meeting slated for later today. Israel Katz, the acting foreign minister and a member of the forum, claimed that no truce had been formalized and hinted that “there is no real proposal to topple Hamas.”