Initial reports suggested a missile fired by an Israeli aircraft had struck empty land east of Deir al-Balah, a town in central Gaza. However, subsequent reports claim the explosion came from the controlled detonation of an object by the IDF.
The explosion followed a rocket attack on the Israeli cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon Tuesday evening. One of the rockets got through the Iron Dome air defense system and struck a street in Ashdod, about 15 miles north of the Gaza Strip, injuring two people.
That attack happened at the same time as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was signing an agreement with the leaders of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in Washington, DC, in which the two Gulf Arab states extended diplomatic recognition to Israel. Palestinian leaders have called the deal a "betrayal," as they are just the third and fourth Arab states to recognize Israel's existence since its foundation in 1948.
