For the first time since the Hamas had announced a unilateral ceasefire on Thursday, a red alert was sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council alongside the Gaza Strip border. The IDF Spokesperson’s Office stated that two launchings were identified from the Gaza Strip, one intercepted by the Iron Dome system and the other apparently fell in the Gaza Strip. The explosions were heard in the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported.
“Following the report on the red alerts activated in the Eshkol Regional Council, two launchings were identified from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory,” the IDF spokesman said shortly after the sirens had been sounded. “One rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome system and the other apparently fell in the territory of the Gaza Strip.”
Late Saturday evening, Gazan sources report that the IAF attacked Gaza in retaliation.
Earlier on Saturday, an IDF force opened fire on a terrorist squad as it crossed the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip. The IDF Spokesperson’s Office said that the suspects had fled back to the Gaza territory and that there had been no casualties.
In addition, a thorn field fire erupted after firebomb kites flown from the Gaza Strip had landed near the settlements of Karmiya, in the vicinity of local greenhouses. Twenty-six firefighters and ten fire engines were dispatched to the scene, where, after hours of labor, they managed to subdue the fire.
The Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority reported that about a third of a local reserve area (up to 740 acres) near Kibbutz Karmiya went up in flames. 6200 acres have been burned up since the fire-kite attacks began.