Palestinian Terrorists Fire Rockets At Israel As IDF Troops Withdraw

Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired five rockets at southern Israel in the early hours of Wednesday, as IDF troops were withdrawing from Jenin following a two-day counterterrorism operation.

Sirens blared in the southern city of Sderot and surrounding areas.

The Iron Dome air defense system intercepted all of the rockets, according to the military.

There were no reports of injuries or damage in the attack.

The rockets were the first fired at the Jewish state since Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group reached a ceasefire deal to end five days of fighting in May.

During that conflict, PIJ launched more than 1,250 rockets at Israel, to which the IDF responded by striking nearly 400 terror assets in Gaza.

An Israeli soldier was shot and killed in Jenin on Tuesday evening, as IDF forces began pulling back from the Samaria city.

The military said the soldier, a non-commissioned officer from the Egoz commando unit, received treatment at the scene before being evacuated to an Israeli hospital, where he was declared dead.

“The IDF sends its heartfelt condolences to the family and will continue to support them,” said the military.

Sporadic clashes erupted between Palestinian terrorists and Israeli troops into early Wednesday morning, with an IDF spokesman saying that the forces would remain “prepared for whatever is required.”

The military launched the major operation on Monday, including the entry into the Samaria city of significant ground forces.

Over 1,000 IDF troops participated in the campaign, which is believed to be the largest deployment in Judea and Samaria in two decades.

“I congratulate our courageous fighters who destroyed many terrorist infrastructures in Jenin and thus prevented many terror attacks,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit on Tuesday to the Salem checkpoint, located some 10 kilometers (32808.4 feet) (6.2 miles) from Jenin.

“At this moment, we are completing the mission, and I can say our widescale operation in Jenin is not a one-time action,” he added.

The premier also spoke about Tuesday afternoon’s terror attack in Tel Aviv, where a Palestinian drove his car into pedestrians at a bus stop on Pinchas Rosen Street in the northeastern Ramat Hahayal neighborhood.

The terrorist, identified as 20-year-old Abed Halilah, then got out of the vehicle and stabbed additional victims with a sharp object, police said. There were seven victims in total.

Hamas said that Halilah was a member of the Gaza-based terror group and praised the attack as a “heroic” response to the military operation in Jenin.

“Whoever thinks that such an attack will deter us from continuing our fight against terrorism is wrong,” said Netanyahu.

Produced in association with Jewish News Syndicate

(Additional reporting provided by JNS Reporter)