Image by Getty Images

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli tanks and planes fired on four Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for mortar shells fired on soldiers working in southern Israel, the Israeli army said.

Following the mortar attacks early Thursday afternoon, trains running between the southern Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Sderot were stopped. Buses were sent to pick up stranded passengers. Service resumed about two hours later.

No Israelis were injured in the mortar attacks. The Gaza Health Ministry said that at least three Palestinians were injured in the strikes.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“We view the Hamas terror organization as responsible for the events in the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli army said in a statement.

The mortar fire sent off several Code Red sirens in areas of southern Israel near the border with Gaza, though the Israeli military first said the sirens were a false alarm.

It is believed the mortar attack is in retaliation for Israel’s demolition a month ago of a terror tunnel that stretched from Khan Younis in Gaza to the border of Israel. At least 14 Gazan Palestinians who were in the tunnel at the time of the controlled explosion by the army were killed and several injured. Most of the dead were members of the terrorist organization Islamic Jihad, which threatened retaliation.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.

This year, we have stood together in strength and sorrow. Our Forward team has worked around the clock to help you find clarity amid the chaos.

If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.

Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism. 

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount