More than 60 rockets and mortar rounds — the highest number since June — were fired from Gaza towards Israel over the Simchat Torah holiday following an Israeli strike on jihadist terrorists in the Strip.

The Israeli attack was carried out from the air in a joint IDF-Shin Bet operation last Sunday afternoon.
The targets, two World Jihad members, had been planning a large cross-border attack from Sinai on an Israeli target, according to Israeli sources.

The two men were targeted by a missile while riding a motorcycle in Rafah and were severely wounded. A Palestinian health authority spokesman said that eight other civilians were wounded in the blast.

Following the strike on Monday, members of the military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired 55 rockets and mortar shells at Israel. There were no human casualties but a number of goats on a kibbutz were killed and damage was caused to building and cars. Seven more rockets were fired on Tuesday without causing any damage or harm.

In retaliation, the Israeli Air Force attacked Hamas positions and launch pads in the northern Gaza Strip, wounding five people.

Israeli security officials noted that, while Hamas has mainly kept out of the latest attacks and had promised the Egyptian government that it would not take part in any operations within Sinai, Hamas members were involved in this week’s rocket barrage against Israel. They explained that this was an attempt to avoid being seen as “less patriotic” than the Islamic Jihad movement.