A rocket attack launched from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel leaving four Israeli soldiers dead and a dozen wounded, according to Israel Defense Forces and international media reports.
Alarm sirens sounded around Kerem Shalom. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, which, according to the Times of Israel, left people wounded in a military area. At least ten rockets were launched from Rafah. The attack occurred while Israel and Hamas were negotiating to reach a truce.
Negotiations have been stalled for a week, despite the international community urging the Palestinian terrorist group to accept Israel's "generous" conditions. Despite the truce negotiations, which involve the release of Israeli hostages, Benjamin Netanyahu announced that with or without a truce, the IDF will enter Rafah, the last Palestinian enclave in Gaza.
🚨MOMENTS AGO: Sirens sounding in Kerem Shalom.
While the IDF is facilitating humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, terrorists fire rockets into the same area.
Israel remains committed to providing life-saving aid while Hamas remains…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 5, 2024
On that same day, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh expressed the desire for a ceasefire to halt the Israeli "aggression," secure Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and negotiate an agreement that includes the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
As a result of the attack launched from Rafah, the Israeli Defense Minister and member of the War Cabinet, Yoav Galant, claimed that Hamas shows no signs of wanting a truce. In statements reported by The Times of Israel, Galant said that the IDF will launch a ground offensive on Rafah.
"We have clear goals for this war: we are committed to the elimination of Hamas and the release of the hostages. We have given [negotiations] a certain period of time...with a specified delay in operational action," Gallant said in a meeting with military commanders.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with troops in central Gaza's Netzarim Corridor today, saying that Israel has "identified signs that Hamas does not intend to go for any [truce] framework. The meaning is clear: Intense action in Rafah in the near future, and in other areas, all… pic.twitter.com/sdNSaA186i
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 5, 2024
More missiles from Lebanon
According to reports by Israeli correspondent Mannie Fabian, at least 40 rockets from Lebanon have struck northern Israel just over an hour after the attack was reported from Rafah.
This marks one of the largest simultaneous attacks since the start of the war in Gaza. Initially, it was estimated that 65 projectiles were launched, but this number was later lowered. The rockets hit west of the Golan Heights.
The Israeli government officially closes down Al Jazeera
The Hamas rocket attack also comes after the government confirmed the closure of Qatar's Al Jazeera television network in Israel. The Knesset approved a law restricting the broadcast of this Arab state channel within the country, effectively implementing the ban.
Al Jazeera's senior management and representatives for Israel and the Palestinian territories expressed their opposition to the government's decision. They described Israel's decision as "dangerous" and claimed that the restriction was politically motivated. Reuters reported that Al Jazeera's legal team is already preparing a response to this development.
Israel closes Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing
After the rocket attack, the IDF conducted an airstrike on the locations from which Hamas had launched the rockets. Additionally, it was reported that the Kerem Shalom border crossing was closed after the rocket attack.
Kerem Shalom is a border crossing located at the southernmost point where Israel meets Gaza, near the border with Egypt. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid intended for Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip typically pass through this crossing.
