12 Qassams fired from Gaza
Some rockets land in Israeli territory, rest in PA; IDF officials say they do not see escalation as of yet following Jericho operation
On Tuesday, at least eight further rockets were fired at the Negev. There were no reports of injuries or damage in all of the incidents.
In response to the rockets, the IDF on Wednesday morning fired artillery rounds at Qassam launching sites in the northern Gaza Strip.
IDF officials believe that the Jericho Operation, together with incidents in Gaza, will cause terror organizations to "release pressure" through Qassam launchings. A military source said that the firing of Qassams after a significant IDF operation in the West Bank is expected, and should not be seen as an escalation.
'low quality'
"In the past, when the IDF acted against lone wanted suspects in Tul Karem, we saw a response from Gaza. The fact that most of the rockets are not falling in Israel shows their low quality. In all cases, we are monitoring the incidents and will respond according to necessity," the source said.
The IDF's response up to now has come in the form of artillery rounds on Tuesday at northern Gaza, and it seems that in light of the current incidents in Gaza, and the kidnappings of foreigners, as well as the uncertainty over the crossings in Rafah and Kerem Shalom closed on Tuesday, the IDF will prefer at this stage not to escalate its response, acting with caution.
Meanwhile, the Karni goods crossing in northern Gaza remained closed Wednesday morning following a decision by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who is holding daily meetings on the issue. The crossing was closed on Tuesday under Mofaz's orders due to alerts of terror attacks.
On Tuesday, official sources in the PFLP threatened that "Israel would pay a heavy price for the operation in Jericho."
Shmulik Hadad contributed to this report
