Gaza and Israel exchange fire

This item appears on page 19 of the December 2018 issue.

Two rockets were fired from Gaza on Oct. 17, one of which struck a house in the Israeli city of Beersheba, causing significant damage. The family living in the house had escaped to a missile shelter after the rockets set off an early-warning system, and there were no injuries. In response, Israel struck back with missiles at multiple sites operated by the Islamist militant group Hamas in Gaza, killing one person.

It was later determined that a lightning strike was responsible for the launch of the two rockets from Gaza.

On Oct. 24, a rocket was launched from Gaza into southern Israel, landing in an unpopulated area. In response, Israel attacked three Hamas sites, with no reported casualties, as Hamas had evacuated all of their sites in anticipation of an Israeli response.