According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), air raid sirens sounded early Wednesday morning in Kissufim, a kibbutz near the border with Gaza, which they later identified as failed launches as both rockets fell inside of Gaza.
In recent days, more than 30 rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israeli territory, several of which were intercepted by Iron Dome missiles. While the IDF responded to some rounds of firing by returning fire with tanks and aircraft, the IDF was said to be preparing for a larger offensive after the number of rockets being fired began to sharply increase.
The weekend also saw large demonstrations across Gaza, including outside of a checkpoint between Gaza and Israel, in solidarity with Palestinian East Jerusalemites who had been attacked by both police and an Israeli mob.
Israel's near-total blockade of Gaza since 2009 has severely curbed the government's ability to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to rage in Gaza even as Israel registers one of the highest vaccination rates against the virus of any nation. Basic medical and mechanical supplies are hard to come by.
