Violence Still on the Upswing: Mortars, Rockets from Gaza Overnight; Israel Kills 3

Israeli forces and Hamas fighters continue to trade blows at a seemingly growing rate. Following the wounding of an Israeli soldier by a sniper, three Hamas men were killed in the retaliatory raid. Overnight Wednesday and early Thursday, mortar rounds and rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip at Israeli territory. No injuries or property damage were reported. Israeli officials angered the Palestinians with charges that Hamas used children in what was termed a “bait riot” – that Hamas manufactured the rally-turned-violent in order to lure soldiers into range of their snipers who managed to wound one soldier. Tensions there were already high following the killing of an Israeli soldier by a Palestinian sniper on Friday. After Israeli troops killed three during a retaliatory raid, Hamas leaders threatened that “Israel will pay a steep price.” In the north, Israeli military brass are parsing the events surrounding two missiles fired from Syria landing in Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) on Wednesday. The initial belief is that they were fired by ISIS at Syrian regime troops and missed their targets. But while there was no harm done, concern remains over the incident because no alarms sounded and missile interceptor systems failed to respond.