A host on the Saudi Al-Arabiya channel has challenged a senior Hamas official over the terror group's tactics in the current war.

In an interview aired Wednesday night, Rasha Nabil questioned the timing of the missile barrage launched from Rafah toward Israeli civilians as the IDF was advancing toward the city.

In response, Razi Hamed, a member of Hamas' political bureau and a close associate of the terror group's Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar, made the unsubstantiated claim that Israel was committing "massacres" in other cities in the strip as well as in the West Bank even though, as he claimed, no rocket attacks were conducted from there. "Does that not justify it? It's a criminal, cruel, Nazi state," he said.

Dissatisfied with Hamed's response, Nabil pressed on, asking whether there was "a specific purpose, a calculated aim, a political goal" to the Rafah missile launches that were otherwise perceived as supporting Israel's claim of Rafah being a terror hub sheltering Hamas terrorists.

Again making an unsubstantiated claim, Hamed insisted that Israel was a state "founded on crime" and, therefore, "does not need justification for its killings."

Israel considers the Rafah operation vital to achieving the two goals it set on Oct. 7: to destroy Hamas and secure the release of the over 100 hostages still held captive by the terror organization, many of them considered to be held in Rafah.

#خارج_الصندوق | القيادي في #حماس غازي حمد يرد على السؤال الصعب حول تفكير الحركة بواقعية في ظل ما تقوم به #إسرائيل في #رفح: نحن نفكر بواقعية سياسية ونفكر في مصلحة الشعب الفلسطيني ومصلحة أهلنا في #غزة.. ونتألم جدا لما يجري في القطاع#العربية pic.twitter.com/B6DWyzqL0R

— العربية (@AlArabiya) May 28, 2024

Nabil is known to challenge senior Hamas officials in her interviews. Just last week, she interviewed Hussam Badran, also a member of the terror group's political bureau, about the blood on captured IDF female soldiers and "violent discourse" toward them.

Badran attempted to justify the terrorists' behaviors by pointing out that the events occurred on a military base, rather than a civilian area. He even tried to suggest that no violence against the soldiers can be observed in the footage, at which point Nabil interjected, saying, "No, there are female soldiers with blood on their faces… and there is violent speech toward them documented in video and audio."

The post 'Why did you fire from Rafah?' Arab hostess embarrasses Hamas leader on air appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Rocket shrapnel and fragments were found Sunday in a cemetery near Ram-On, north of Jenin, according to the IDF.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

The military said in a statement that the rocket, which contained no explosives, is believed to be from an "old improvised rocket."

Video: Did the rocket originate from Jenin? Credit: Arab media

"Remnants of an improvised rocket were found earlier today by a security man in the settlement of Ram On. After the security forces' sappers inspected the findings, it was found to be an old improvised rocket. No explosives were found in the remains," the statement said.

Rocket remnants were discovered by security personnel in the town of Ram On earlier today. After examining the findings by security forces experts, it was determined that it was an old rocket. No explosive material was found in the rocket remnants.

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 9, 2023

The discovery of the shrapnel comes following multiple videos in Palestinian media showing improvised and home-made rocket launches from Palestinian areas in the West Bank.

Improvised rockets were also found by the IDF during their two-day operation in Jenin, where the army found a large cache of weapons being hidden by Palestinian terror groups.

Israeli towns on the border of the Gaza Strip have long lived under the threat of rockets. The prospect of rockets launched against Israeli towns from West Bank terrorists represents a threatening escalation for Israel's security establishment.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Rocket shrapnel found by army in northern Israel; may have originated in Jenin appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

IDF fighter jets struck a weapon manufacturing site and a rocket launcher belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, in retaliation for arson balloons launched toward Israeli territory in the past two days.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

According to security sources and witnesses in Gaza, the Hamas facilities hit were west of Gaza City and in the northern Strip, with no immediate reports of casualties.

Incendiary balloons from Gaza caused fires in southern Israel's Eshkol region on Saturday and Friday.

Israeli jets destroyed Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Thursday, too, in response to cross-border arson attacks.

Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

The IDF warned in a statement that it "will continue to retaliate against any further terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip."

On May 21, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire following 11 days of conflict. Since then, Palestinian terrorists from Gaza have sporadically launched arson balloons across the border, causing fires in Israel's fields. Egyptian, Qatari and United Nations mediators have been working to shore up the fragile ceasefire.

Also on Saturday, a Palestinian man was shot in Judea and Samaria after clashes broke out in the area between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.

According to the IDF, soldiers were trying to disperse rioters when a Palestinian man threw an explosive device at them from a rooftop, to which they "responded with fire… to eliminate the danger."

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the slain man as Mohammad Fareed Hassan, 20, from Qusra village near the city of Nablus.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post IDF strikes Hamas targets in Gaza over incendiary balloons appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The IDF Home Front Command on Tuesday recommended that thicker steel plates be placed over the windows of fortified rooms in homes near the Gaza Strip.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Maj. Gen. Uri Gordin, the head of the Home Front Command, met with municipal leaders in communities near the Gaza Strip to inform them of the new recommendation.

The army said the move was based on a further investigation into a piece of rocket shrapnel that pierced the metal window covering of a fortified room in the border town of Sderot, killing five-year-old Ido Avigal during the recent fighting against Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza.

An IDF statement said that following Gordin's recommendation, the steel plates in communities within seven kilometers (4.3 miles) of the border will be replaced with ones that are at least 32 millimeters (1.2 inches) thick, citing "developing capabilities" among Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza.

IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman said the incident in which Avigal was killed was the result of an "incredibly rare" convergence of events.

"It was a piece of the rocket that came in at a very specific angle, at a very specific speed and at a very specific point," Zilberman said, but the window plating had been constructed properly.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Fortified windows in south to undergo change following child's death appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The Israel Fire and Rescue Services said Wednesday afternoon that it has almost completely extinguished a blaze at a petroleum facility in southern Israel that was set alight by a rocket fired by Hamas terrorists.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The rocket landed Tuesday night near a Petroleum and Energy Infrastructures Ltd. facility south of Ashkelon during a major barrage by Gaza terrorists. The result was a massive fire in a storage tank that blazed through the night and into Wednesday.

Israel Fire and Rescue Services said that 20 teams have been working for 25 hours to extinguish the inferno that issued a column of thick black smoke. The state-owned Petroleum and Energy Infrastructures said the fuel had been transferred to another storage facility.

On Wednesday, the plume of smoke was still rising over Ashkelon. Israeli health and environment officials have instructed residents of the area to avoid prolonged periods outdoors.

The post Huge fire at petroleum facility caused by rocket hit nearly out appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Several hours after his home was hit by a rocket from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Ashkelon resident Edward Weinstock recalled the terrifying moment he realized the rocket landed in his son's bedroom.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

"Sirens kept going off throughout the night," he said from the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, where he was hospitalized with moderate wounds. "Another siren went off again at 5 a.m., and the rocket landed in my child's bedroom. Luckily, he did not sleep in his room. I had just taken him out of there.

"I do not remember where it fell exactly, but I found myself on the floor, covered in shrapnel. Only I was injured. My family – wife and two kids – are alright," he said.

Magen David Adom paramedic Eitan Lasri said the city was on high alert. Hamas has launched more than 250 rockets into Israel in the last 24 hours, many of which landed in the coastal city.

"As soon as we heard the siren, we ran to the protected spaces. When reports came out on rockets hitting residential buildings, we got into our vehicles and ambulances," Lasri said.

Lasri and his colleagues treated several people who suffered shrapnel wounds, as well as shock victims, and some had to be hospitalized.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Eyewitness recalls moment Gaza rocket hit his home appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The United States will do what it views as necessary to defend its interests after a rocket attack against Iraq's Ain al-Sada airbase, which hosts American, coalition and Iraqi forces, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Sunday.

The attack, which was the second in several weeks, took place earlier in March. Pro-Iranian militias were believed to be responsible for the incident. The US attacked several sites in Syria affiliated with Shiite militias shortly after the first incident in February, in which a contractor was killed.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Speaking on ABC's "This Week" program, Austin said the US was urging Iraq to quickly investigate the incident and determine who was responsible.

"We'll strike, if that's what we think we need to do, at a time and place of our own choosing. We demand the right to protect our troops," he said, adding that Iran would have to draw its own conclusions if and when the United States acts.

 Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post In wake of Iranian aggression, Pentagon warns US will retaliate appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The IDF targeted Hamas installations in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, hours after Palestinian terrorists fired a rocket into Israel.

 Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The projectile, launched from the coastal enclave on Monday, landed in open terrain in southern Israel, causing no damage.

In a tweet, the army said tanks fired at the terrorist group's positions in retaliation for the attack.

Sirens warning of incoming rockets were not activated as the projectile fell too far from any community to pose danger, an IDF spokesperson said in a statement.

Israel holds Hamas responsible for all acts of aggression issuing from the coastal territory.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post IDF strikes Hamas targets after rocket attack from Gaza appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The rocket landed inside Gaza, the IDF said after conducting an investigation. It remains unclear which Palestinian organization initiated the exchange.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The army added that the Hamas target was an observation post located in northern Gaza.

A Hamas delegation is currently in Cairo for talks with the Egyptian government in an effort to broker a ceasefire agreement with Jerusalem.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi is urging the Palestinian terrorist group to rain in its aggression toward Israel in exchange for financial relief and medical assistance.

On Tuesday, the IDF launched airstrikes against a Hamas military position after a mortar shell fired from the Gaza Strip landed in open territory in Israel, the army said in a statement.

On Monday, Israeli warplanes hit what the military said were "terror targets in a Hamas military compound in the northern Gaza Strip, including the office of a Hamas battalion commander."

Tensions have escalated in recent weeks between Israel and its Arab neighbors, with numerous explosions across the Middle East being blamed on IDF airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.

This article was originally published by i24NEWS.

The post IDF strikes Hamas targets in Gaza over rocket fire on Israel appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

SpaceX launched the communications satellite for Israeli operator Spacecom on an expendable Falcon 9 mission, following a three-day delay to replace a suspected rocket valve.

 Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Amos-17, Spacecom's newest satellite, separated from the rocket's upper stage 32 minutes after liftoff. The launch is SpaceX's 10th mission this year.

President Reuven Rivlin lauded the successful launch, saying it was a "morning full of pride," and thanking those involved for their "important work for the State of Israel."

Video: Reuters

Spacecom famously lost its Amos 6 communications satellite in 2016, during a Falcon 9 explosion that took place just days before its planned launch.

Built by Boeing, the $250 million Amos-17 weighs 6.5 tons with its solar panels deployed, it has a wingspan of 35 meters (115 feet). It is designed to operate for 20 years and provide broadcast and broadband connectivity services across sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia. The satellite carries a mix of C-, Ku- and Ka-band transponders, as well as a digital channelizer for improved capacity allocation and signal interference mitigation.

Spacecom is a supplier of satellite services to satellite TV operators, Internet and telephone providers, governments and private data companies. The firm, which started operations in 1993, has launched satellites deployed around the globe. It said it has already received orders for services for a total of $58 million with respect to the Amos-17's services.

The post Israel's Amos-17 satellite successfully launched into space appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.