Rocket Attack by 'Islamic Government-Aligned Palestinians' on Israel

Israel claims that the rocket attack on southern Israel on Saturday night was carried out by Palestinians affiliated with organizations aligned with the 'Islamic Government' (formerly ISIS), but Israel holds Hamas responsible. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, stated on Sunday, June 17, during his weekly cabinet meeting, that in Israel's view, Hamas is ultimately responsible for the events in Gaza. According to Israel Radio, Netanyahu expressed dissatisfaction with the United Nations and the 'hypocrisy of the world' for their 'silence' regarding these attacks, questioning whether this hypocritical silence would continue when Israel seeks to defend itself. A group aligned with ISIS in the Gaza Strip, called 'Omar Hadid', claimed responsibility for the rocket fire on Israel via its Twitter account. This group had also claimed responsibility for firing three rockets the previous Wednesday. According to Haaretz, the rocket landed in an open area at the Ashkelon port and caused no casualties or damage, but the sounding of the alarm siren once again alarmed the residents of the area. Additionally, according to Wynet, Itamar Shimoni, the mayor of Ashkelon, stated, 'Given the recurrence of rocket attacks towards southern Israel, the real test hour for Netanyahu's government has come to restore the security of the people.' Hours after the rocket attack, an Israeli Air Force drone fired missiles at a base of Palestinian militants in Gaza. Palestinian media reported that a training facility of the 'Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades', the military wing of Hamas, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, was targeted. Israeli media also reported that, at the order of General Moshe Ya'alon, the country's defense minister, the army has closed the 'currency' and 'Karem Shalom' crossings 'except for humanitarian cases' as a punitive measure. According to Wynet, on Sunday, June 17, the Israeli army also conducted a new drill to counter rocket attacks in areas near Gaza. Following the resumption of rocket attacks, Israel, which had deployed the 'Iron Dome' system near the city of Ashdod in southern Israel two weeks ago, also deployed another system near the city of 'Rehovot'. Israeli officials confirm that each time smaller groups in Gaza seek to challenge Hamas's authority over the strip, they fire rockets at Israel; in many cases, Hamas has attempted to detain the rocket launchers. Meanwhile, last summer, during the Israeli army's war against armed Palestinian groups in Gaza, thousands of rockets were fired towards Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, which Hamas claimed responsibility for, viewing it as a defensive action against heavy bombardments and artillery fire from the Israeli army in Gaza. Since the last summer war, rocket attacks from Gaza to Israel had significantly decreased. The rocket attack on Saturday night was the fourth such incident and the seventh rocket in the past two weeks. In the previous three cases, Israeli officials stated that more radical forces than Hamas had fired rockets at Israel due to their hostility towards Hamas. According to Haaretz, among the rockets fired at Israel last Thursday, one was attributed to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad because Hamas had detained several Islamic Jihad militants. Salafi jihadist groups in Gaza have formed over the past few years, even before the rise of ISIS in the Middle East. Last week, Hamas security forces killed one of the leaders of the ISIS-aligned groups in Gaza. Websites affiliated with these groups claim that Hamas security forces have arrested dozens of their associates in recent weeks. Previously, Hamas also demolished a mosque that, according to Hamas leaders, had become a center for ISIS activities in Gaza with a bulldozer.