For the first time in six months, sirens sounded on Friday in the southern city of Be'er Sheva and the surrounding area due to rocket barrages fired from the Gaza Strip.
In the first barrage at just after 5:30 pm, one rocket was intercepted, others exploded in unpopulated areas, but another rocket struck a playground and a nearby house directly. A woman sustained minor shrapnel injuries and is in light condition.
Playground takes direct hit from Gaza rocket in Be'er Sheva
(Video: Meir Even Haim)
Less than two hours later, another alarm was triggered due to a further volley of nine rockets, which caused no damage or casualties.
"Children playing here in the park, but they managed to get to the bomb shelter when the alarm sounded," one parkgoer reported after the initial rocket fire.
"The building shook. We heard a serious blast and the house felt like it was being torn apart. Everything fell from the cabinets," added Yelena, a witness. "My neighbor's balcony windows shattered. We had gotten used to there being no alarms. We didn't expect this. It took us by surprise."
Sirens in Be’er Sheba following rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave were last activated on December 6. Last month, the city was targeted in a combined missile and drone attack from Iran.
The warnings were issued as the IDF continues its operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, which the War Cabinet voted to intensify Thursday night.
The decision was made despite U.S. President Joe Biden's halt on arms shipments to Israel due to its military actions in Rafah. Cabinet ministers maintain that only an escalation of military pressure on Hamas would push the terrorist group to agree to a hostage deal on terms more favorable to Israel's terms.
Meanwhile, IDF tanks seized control of the main thoroughfare that bisects Rafah from east to west on Friday, effectively encircling the entire eastern sector of the Gaza Strip's southernmost city.
Since the morning hours, more than 15 rockets and artillery rounds have been launched from Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza, including three rockets aimed at the Eshkol regional council, two mortar shells fired at Kerem Shalom, two additional mortar shells directed at an IDF force in southern Gaza and another four mortar shells in a separate attack. Some of the projectiles were intercepted by air defenses.
Throughout the day, residents of Rafah reported repeated and intensive attacks, particularly in the east and northeast of the city, amid fierce exchanges of fire between IDF forces and Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists. Palestinian media reported heavy firing and relentless shelling in the area east of Rafah, alongside fire exchanges and bombings of homes.
Meanwhile, a series of alarms sounded in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona following a barrage of 35 rockets fired from Lebanon. Fifteen were intercepted, but others fell within the city and surrounding areas, causing property damage. Fires broke out nearby along Highway 90. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, and the IDF retaliated by striking the sources of the fire.