Israel aimlessly bombs civilian areas in Gaza

Israeli artillery bombed empty land close to a residential area in Gaza on Friday, after a rocket launched from the Khan Yousif camp on Thursday night.
2 min read
10 March, 2017
The bombardment was possibly in reaction to an amateur rocket attack on Thursday night [Twitter]
Israeli artillery pounded waters used by Palestinian fishermen and a residential area of the besieged Gaza Strip on Friday following a rocket attack the night before.

Local sources reported seeing shells landing randomly, close to the Khan Younis camp in southern Israel, causing widespread panic among the local population.

No injuries were reported as the majority of the shells hit empty land.

No official reason was given for the shelling, but it is believed to be related to a rocket attack that came out of the Khan Yousif camp on Thursday night. The homemade rocket failed to reach Israeli territory and alert sirens were not sounded.

Israel frequently launches attacks on Gaza territory, especially against Hamas military positions, in response to amateur rocket attacks.

It is believed that the majority of these rockets are created by militants in Gaza with affiliations to Islamic State group in Sinai.

Read more: The radicalised youths in Gaza who see Hamas as too moderate.

"These are not rockets that are being smuggled in from Sinai," says Diaa Kahlout, The New Arab's correspondent in Gaza City.

"They are locally manufactured, weak weapons - their strikes do not affect Israel in any meaningful way."

The ruling party in Gaza, Hamas, has tried to clamp down on these rocket attacks however, as it views the rockets as a nuisance.