More than 1,000 rockets were fired at Israel by Palestinian forces from the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the escalation, around 200 of which did not cross the border and exploded inside the Palestinian enclave, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Jonathan Conricus said on Wednesday.
According to the spokesman, the IDF’s operation against “Palestinian Islamists” continues for over 38 hours. The fighting came after weeks of rising tensions that were stoked by violent confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters at a site in Jerusalem that is holy to both Muslims and Jews.
Over this period, 860 rockets were fired at the Israeli territory and crossed the border, while around 200 other rockets did not reach the target and exploded in the Gaza Strip.
Six civilians were injured in a rocket attack on the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
“As non-stop barrages of rockets continue to be fired toward southern Israel, an apartment building in Ashkelon was hit. 6 civilians were injured,” the IDF said on Twitter.
