Itongadol.- The IAF struck 5 Hamas targets in southern Gaza in response to two days of cross-border fire on IDF units carrying out operational work near the border, the military said.
"The IDF views underground terrorism and overground terrorism activities as a breach of the State of Israel\’s sovereignty, and views the Hamas terror organization as being solely responsible," the military said in a statement.
It vowed to continue to act "with determination, and as much as is needed, to destroy all of the underground tunnels," adding, "A quiet and ordinary routine is of mutual interest, and we will seek to safeguard them."
Hamas\’s military wing said on Wednesday night that "the Zionist enemy will be shelled in targets it did not expect so long as it does not retreat from the Gazan border."
Hamas operatives fired 5 mortar shells at an IDF unit carrying out operational work on the Gaza border fence since Wednesday morning.
In the first such incident, an IDF tank carried out return fire at a Hamas position in the area, the military said.
There were no injuries among IDF soldiers.
Hours later, a second explosion occurred on the northern border of Gaza in the afternoon.
In a statement, the IDF said the unit stationed in the area "returned fire into Gaza using tanks" in response.
There were no injuries among security forces, the IDF noted. The IDF does not yet know who was behind "both cross border incidents."
In the third incident, a unit operating on the border with northern Gaza heard shots fired in their vicinity. It was later confirmed that a mortar shell was fired at the troops. An IDF tank in the area fired on a suspicious target within Gaza in response.
The firing continued on into the evening with two additional projectiles fired at IDF forces.
In response to the mortars, the region surrounding the Nahal Oz Gaza border community was declared a closed military zone.