IDF thwarts Gaza rocket launch

Air Force hits rocket cell in northern Strip seconds before it fired at Israel; two terrorists hit. Palestinians claim one terrorist killed, five injured

Yoav Zitun|Published: 12.30.11 , 08:38

An Air Force jet carried out a strike against a rocket cell in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday morning seconds before it fired rockets at Israel. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that the aircraft hit two terrorists and succeeded in foiling the attempted rocket attack.

The cell members are most likely Islamic Jihad operatives. The Palestinians reported that one terrorist was killed and that five cell members were injured in the central Strip.

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The IDF said that the cell had fired at Gaza vicinity communities earlier this week, and placed responsibility on Hamas. On Wednesday, four Qassam rockets fired from the Gaza Strip exploded in open areas in the Western Negev. Hours later, IAF jets bombed a smuggling tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip and a terrorist center in Central Gaza.

On Tuesday, the IDF hit a Global Jihad cell which was planning an attack on the Israel-Egypt border.

The Palestinians said that eight people were injured including two in serious condition, while the IDF reported that two were killed. After the attack, a Qassam rocket was fired at Israel but exploded on the Palestinian side of the fence. The strike was carried out two hours after an Islamic Jihad operative was killed in an airstrike in northern Gaza.

Elior Levy contributed to this report