Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon
Defense Minister Moshe YaalonFlash 90

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon praised IDF troops for eliminating Gaza Arab terrorist Mohammed Awar. Awar had been involved in rocket attacks on Israel and had also served as member of the Hamas police force in Gaza, said the IDF.

“The terrorist had been involved in firing rockets at Israeli civilians,” said Ya'alon. “We will not allow these attacks to pass. We will fight back aggressively even the occassional rocket attacks and terror attack attempts, whose only purpose is to damage the daily life of israelis. We will act in all such attempts as we did Wednesday night,” Ya'alon said.

Awal was a member of a terror group that carried out rocket attacks on communities surrounding Gaza and on Sderot on April 21, the IDF said. The group was also plotting other terrorist attacks, including a plan to down an Israeli helicopter. The IDF sees firing of rockets at Israeli territory as very serious and will continue to act strongly against any attempt to carry out terrorist activities,” said the statement, adding, “The IDF is prepared to defend the citizens of Israel.”

Awal was eliminated in a targeted airstrike that came after a Kassam rocket fired by terrorists in Gaza exploded in the Eshkol Regional Council area. Early Thursday, the Red Alert warning system sounded in three locations in the same area, with Kassam rockets falling in the area. No injuries or damage were reported in those attacks. On Wednesday morning, a Kassam rocket fired by terrorists in Gaza exploded on a highway in the area.

There has been a constant trickle of terror from Gaza, with the most recent serious barrage of rockets hitting in mid-March, when roughly 100 rockets struck in the course of three days. Some 150 missiles have been fired from Gaza terrorists since the start of 2014, AFP quoted IDF sources as saying.