Two people dead and multiple wounded in mortar attack on southern Israel

A number of Israelis were seriously wounded and an IDF soldier was lightly injured by shrapnel from a mortar barrage launched from the Gaza Strip into the area surrounding the Erez crossing on Tuesday afternoon.

Two of those wounded succumbed to their injuries, according to multiple Israeli media reports.

MDA reported initially treating 10 wounded in the Eshkol Regional Council, including four who were in serious condition, following Tuesday afternoon’s mortar barrage.

MDA medics and paramedics provided medical treatment to a 19-year-old soldier, and referred him to Barzilai Hospital in stable condition, with a shrapnel wound to his upper body.

The soldier’s unit was overseeing the distribution of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, as Israel opened the Kerem Shalom border crossing to allow for the transfer of gas, food and medicine to Gazan residents.

The IDF said that the mortars struck as a convoy of trucks carrying aid donated by international aid organizations were crossing into the Gaza Strip. At least one mortar shell hit the Erez Crossing while several others were fired at the Kerem Shalom Crossing. Following the attack, the IDF suspended the entry of the rest of the trucks.

Earlier in the day, dozens of rockets were launched at Gaza border communities and the southern Ashkelon region during the late morning hours.

Fire and Rescue teams operating in the Eshkol Regional council reported a direct hit on a number of portable buildings following the most recent barrage. A mortar also reportedly hit a packaging warehouse in the area as well.

Incoming rocket sirens sounded in Gaza border communities early on Tuesday morning after a rare six-hour lull in rocket fire.

Around 90 rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip overnight, as of 7:00 a.m. Iron Dome units intercepted dozens of rockets in the process, according to the IDF. It was not noted the volume of rockets launched during the afternoon barrages.

One rocket breached interception efforts and landed directly on a house located in the Sha’ar Negev Regional Council. The house was not occupied at the time of the direct hit, officials said.

Magen David Adom reported treating 10 injured from Tuesday morning’s rocket barrage. Three were injured by shattered glass, while seven reportedly injured themselves while fleeing to bomb shelters.

The overnight quiet came despite a threat by Hamas that it would fire on Tel Aviv should the IDF continue to strike residential buildings, including high-rise towers.

Meanwhile, on the northern border, six rockets were fired from Lebanese territory towards Israel by a Palestinian group. None of the rockets crossed into Israeli territory and the IDF responded with tank and artillery fire.

There were no reports of casualties or damage, and the shelling did not appear to signal the opening of a new front in the escalation.

This was the second incident of cross-border fire within this past week from Lebanon. On Thursday, three rockets were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel but landed in the Mediterranean Sea, causing no damage or casualties.

Over 3,400 rockets have been fired off into Israeli territory by terrorist groups operating in Gaza since the barrages began last Monday.

Since the onset of the renewed conflict, ten Israelis have lost their lives from direct rocket fire, so far.

Some 105 Israelis have been injured by shrapnel, an additional separate 194 were injured while sprinting to bomb shelters and another 218 were treated for symptoms of post-traumatic stress, according to MDA.

Moreover, some 193 people have either been injured amid the countrywide riots or separately by stone throwing incidents.

Source: JP