Gaza terrorists launch mortar
Gaza terrorists launch mortarIsrael news photo: Flash 90

Terrorists in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip fired a mortar into southern Israel on Thursday morning.

The mortar shell which exploded in an open field in the Eshkol Regional Council, which borders Gaza and is frequently targeted in terror attacks.

The attack did not cause any physical injuries or property damage.

"A mortar was fired in the general direction of a kibbutz, it didn't cause injuries or damage," Israel Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said.

Hamas in Gaza claims to maintain a truce with Israel, but allows its terror confederates in the coastal enclave to routinely launch regular rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli communities.

The IDF confirmed the attack and its commitment to the security of Israel's citizens in the south. A military response may be forthcoming.

However, Israel's strategic paradigm of airstrikes-for-rockets has faced mounting criticism from military analysts as perpetuating the poor security situation that marks Israel's Gaza-belt region.

IDF commanders and senior security officials increasingly say a major ground operation targeting Hamas' terror infrastructure in Gaza will prove "inevitable."