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IDF Reports of Two Rocket Launches From Gaza Strip at Israeli Territory

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Israeli military registered the second rocket launch on Wednesday from the Gaza Strip targeting the territory of the Jewish state, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
Sputnik

"Moments ago, an additional rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip at Israel, and was not yet identified in Israeli territory," the IDF wrote on its Twitter page.

Earlier in the day, the IDF reported about a rocket launch from the Gaza Strip, which apparently hit an empty field in near Israel's southern Ashkelon city. In both cases, the alarm sirens did not work.

The first projectile apparently hit an empty field in Israel’s southern Eshkol region, the Jerusalem Post media outlet reported citing an Eshkol regional spokesman.

No damage or victims have been reported.

This is the second rocket attack on Israeli territory in the past three days, while more than 20 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip over the past month.

On December 2, responding to calls by some public figures and politicians to provide a more forceful response to rocket fire from Gaza, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot stated that Israel would continue taking all the necessary measures to ensure the security of the country. However, according to him, the IDF would avoid using "maximum force" as a retaliatory measure, not allowing Israel to be "dragged" into a renewed conflict in Gaza by radical groups.

READ MORE: Calls for Maximum Retaliation to Attacks From Gaza 'Irresponsible' — IDF Chief

The Israeli authorities blame the Hamas movement for the rocket attacks, demanding compliance with the ceasefire by all the Palestinian factions.

READ MORE: Israeli Air Force Hits HAMAS Positions in Response to Friday Rocket Fire

The movement, for their part, has announced the start of the third "intifada," claiming that the rocket shelling aimed at Israel from Palestinian territories is a matter of self-defense for Palestinians and that the movement had been provoked by the United States.

The conflict escalated following US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 6. The move, though, was rejected by the UNGA resolution, condemning both the US recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and moving the country's embassy there.

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