Gaza terrorists with missile
Gaza terrorists with missileIsrael news photo: Flash 90

Gaza terrorists fired one rocket at southern Israel on Wednesday night. The rocket exploded within Gaza.

The attack follows Israeli strikes in Gaza, which came in response to a terrorist attack that killed an IDF employee.

A source in Israel’s defense establishment told Arutz Sheva that Hamas’ relatively low-key response to the airstrikes should not be mistaken for a sign of calm. In fact, he said, Hamas is stockpiling weapons for the next round of fighting.

The group is arming itself with updated rockets, including long-range missiles, he said. Last year Hamas used medium-range missiles to fire on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv during Operation Pillar of Defense.

“We must not get confused here. The relative quiet from Gaza, and Hamas’ lack of response to the Air Force strikes, are not due to inability [to respond], but rather, due to the extensive preparations the military apparatus in Gaza is making in advance of another conflict with Israel,” he warned.

“Hamas isn’t interested in firing a missile of some sort, or a rocket or mortar shell, just now,” he continued. “Hamas has made every effort to get its hands on advanced missiles with a range greater than anything we’ve seen before [from Gaza] – that is its goal right now.”

The IDF has been taking precautions against an escalation in the Gaza region. The Iron Dome rocket defense system is in place in Ashdod, Be’er Sheva and the Sderot area in case of attack.