An Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor ro
An Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor roReuters

An Iron Dome anti-missile battery intercepted a Grad-type rocket launched toward the southern city of Be'er Sheva on Wednesday. The intercept occurred shortly after 19:00 (GMT+2).

The battery failed to intercept a second Grad on the same trajectory, which fell short and landed in an open field outside of Beer Sheva. No physical injuries were reported in the attack. It is possible that it did not attempt to intercept it, as the system can predict where a missile willl land almost instantaneously.

The attack is only the latest violation of the Cairo-brokered ceasefire between Israel and terrorists in Gaza, which followed on the heels of a mortar attack that fell short of the Gaza security fence a few hours before.

A Grad-type Katyusha rocket also hit a residential area in the southern town of Netivot late Tuesday. One person was lightly wounded.

The Netivot attack was followed up by twin IAF airstrikes on rocket launching cells in reprisal. The IAF reported direct hits in both cases.

IAF fighters subsequently launched twin airstrikes on terrorists trying to launch more rockets into Israel – reporting direct hits.

That exchange came after at least seven rockets and mortar shells were fired at Israel from Gaza earlier on Tuesday.

During the four days of hostilities prior to the truce, terror groups fired more than 200 rockets at Israeli civilians, while the IAF responded with airstrikes.

The IAF launched a total of 37 airstrikes in Gaza during the four day exchange. 19 strikes targeted rocket-launchers and 18 targeted weapons warehouses.

Between 25 and 27 Gazans were killed in the IAF airstrikes. Of these, at least 22 were terrorists.

IAF commanders laid the blame for civilian casualties squarely at the feet of Gaza’s terror groups, saying they were launching rockets from densely populated civilian areas and using bystanders as “human shields.”