Israeli Jets Strike 15 Hamas Targets Following Renewed Rocket Fire

The Israel Air Force conducted 15 strikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip late Saturday night, in retaliation to mortars fired towards southern Israeli communities earlier in the evening. The Popular Resistance Committees—a collection of Palestinian terrorist groups—reportedly launched the four projectiles, three of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, to avenge the death on Friday of a paramedic during violent protests along the border. According to the IDF, Gazans also attempted to damage the security fence and flew burning kites across the frontier in a bid to set agricultural fields and nature reserves ablaze. The latest flare-up comes despite a reported Egyptian-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and follows last Tuesday’s major confrontation—the most significant since the 2014 Gaza war—during which well over 100 mortars and rockets targeted Israeli towns and villages. In response, the IDF struck some 65 Hamas and Islamic Jihad assets, the latter group having been primarily responsible for the missile attacks. Following Saturday’s exchange, an IDF spokesman reiterated that “[if Hamas] chooses to follow a path of terrorism and not solve the difficulties of the people of Gaza it will continue to pay a heavy price that will only become steeper.”