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The radical Palestinian movement Hamas, with which Israel has been at war for seven months, claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. This was reported by Reuters with reference to local media. According to the Israeli army, the strike by Hamas killed three Israeli soldiers and wounded another 12, writes AFP.
The Israeli military said ten rockets were fired from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip towards the Kerem Shalom crossing, which it said was now closed to aid trucks bound for the Palestinian territories. Hamas, which claimed responsibility for the attack, confirmed that its target was an Israeli army base.
Three of the 12 wounded soldiers are in serious condition, the Israeli military said. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant today accused Hamas of showing signs that it is not serious about reaching a ceasefire. In that case, according to the minister, Israel will start military operations in Rafah and other parts of the Gaza Strip “in the very near future”. More than a million Palestinians are sheltering in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, and strikes on the city could exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian territory.
It is unclear how long the border crossing closure will be in place. Other crossings remain open. The incident took place at a time when the Gaza Strip is facing a humanitarian crisis due to shortages of food, medicine and other necessities.
Israel launched a major offensive in the Gaza Strip after a terrorist attack on October 7 last year, when gunmen from the Hamas movement killed 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage, according to Israeli authorities. A massive Israeli bombardment and subsequent ground operation has claimed more than 34,600 Palestinian lives since October, according to Hamas-controlled authorities.
