South wakes to rockets from Gaza, Code Red siren

Amid rising tensions following death of prisoner Abu Hamdiyeh, rocket hits open area in south; no injuries or damage reported.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Ashkelon man takes cover during code red siren 370 (photo credit: Reuters/Amir Cohen)
Ashkelon man takes cover during code red siren 370
(photo credit: Reuters/Amir Cohen)
Gazan mortar shell exploded in the Eshkol region in the South early on Thursday morning.
The shell triggered the Color Red alert before striking a field, and did not cause injuries or damages.
The remainder of Thursday remained free of Palestinian projectile attacks on the South.
Meanwhile, Hamas in Gaza arrested two members of an al-Qaida-inspired group believed to be behind recent rocket attacks on the Sderot area, AFP reported on Thursday, citing sources close to the jihadi group.
The source told AFP that Hamas domestic security forces arrested two “holy fighters,” one of whom was released soon afterward. The second man is still in custody, the source added.
The Mujahadeen Shura Council said it was behind twin rocket blasts in the Sderot area during morning hours, sending parents and their children – who were on their way to school – fleeing for cover.
Hamas’s Interior Ministry denied arresting any of those firing rockets into Israel.
Defense officials warned Hamas this week that a “drizzle of rockets” on southern Israel would not be tolerated, and would warrant a strong response by the IDF if it continued.