Israeli army says it intercepted rocket fired from Gaza

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army said Monday evening that its air force intercepted a rocket fired from southern Gaza toward settlements near the border.

The rocket was launched from the Khan Younis area in the south of Gaza, triggering alarm systems in the nearby Israeli settlements of Nirim and Ein Hashlosha.

A military statement said: “Following the sirens that sounded at 17:59 in Nirim and Ein HaShlosha, communities surrounding the Gaza Strip, one projectile that crossed into Israeli territory from Khan Yunis was intercepted by the IAF (air force).”

This was preceded by the activation of sirens in the affected settlements after the rocket was detected, according to the army.

Meanwhile, the military wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said its fighters targeted Israeli military positions in the Nirim and Ein Hashlosha settlements with 114mm rockets, also known as “Rajm” rockets.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last October, killing more than 44,400 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 105,000.

The second year of the genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

On Nov. 21, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio