Israeli tanks targeted Hamas in the Gaza Strip in response to terrorist rockets fire, the military said early Monday.
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Three rockets set off sirens in the southern city Ashkelon on Sunday night, although according to Palestinian reports one more had crashed before crossing the border.
The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted one the rockets, the IDF confirmed. Two rockets were fired at around midnight but hit Gaza's territory.
"IDF tanks recently attacked a number of Hamas terrorist positions in the Gaza Strip," the IDF tweeted, " in response to incendiary and explosive balloons fired in recent days and rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory earlier tonight."
It's 7AM.
3 more rockets have been fired toward southern Israel, disrupting what should have been a typical morning.
Parents are waking their children and rushing them to bomb shelters.
The time for terror is not now, not ever.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 10, 2021
On Monday morning, Maj. Gen. Rassan Alian, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, announce that Israel was shuttering the Erez pedestrian crossing, as well as closing Gaza's fishing zones in response to incendiary balloons fired into Israel over Sunday, which saw over 20 fires cause extensive property damage.
Militants from the #Gaza Strip shoot salvos of rockets, despite warnings the #IDF is standing by to retaliate:
'Everyone is on guard, especially because of what's going on in #Jerusalem,' @owenalterman reports. pic.twitter.com/I5mOtUgOtp
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) May 10, 2021
The decision will remain in place until further notice, he said adding that the balloon bomb launched over the border throughout the day made for a clear violation of Israel's sovereignty.
Hamas "is held accountable for all that is done in and from the Gaza Strip toward the State of Israel, and it will therefore bear the consequences for the violence committed against the country's citizens," he warned.
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