IDF Spokesperson Brigadier General Ronen Manlis announced on Saturday that the IDF has attacked a terrorist tunnel that had been dug from the Rafah area and crossed into Israel.

The excavation work has been accelerated in recent weeks "with the intention of carrying out an attack." According to Manlis, the IDF closely monitored the progress on the tunnel, maintaining full control over it, before it was attacked today.

The attack on the tunnel was part of a response to the rocket barrage from the Gaza Strip, in which 70 terror targets of Hamas and Islamic Jihad were attacked. "We see Hamas as responsible," the IDF spokesman said. "They're in charge, they're responsible. We see Islamic Jihad as an organization that is not deterred from Hamas and therefore we attacked quite a few of their outposts and production sites."

"The Palestinian Islamic Jihad is also responsible for the sniper attack that took place during the Hamas riot in Gaza yesterday, injuring 2 IDF soldiers inside Israel," the IDF statement added.



The IDF Spokesperson explained that Islamic Jihad has been operating in recent weeks to destabilize Gaza. "Hamas is succeeding in enforcing a directive on Islamic Jihad and imposing responsibility on it," the IDF spokesman said.

By 4:00 p.m., about 200 launchings from the Gaza Strip had been identified, dozens of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. In addition, several rockets hit built-up areas. In response, the IDF attacked the Gaza Strip, including two high-trajectory launchers, and killed between five and six terrorists from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. According to the IDF spokesperson, additional attacks began, the ground forces in the area were reinforced and the fishing area closed.

"Our intention is to respond to these events," the IDF spokesman said, adding: "The Islamic Jihad and Hamas have a war room for coordination. The operation is currently coordinated between the two organizations. We are currently in the midst of an attack. The attack will continue and other targets will be hit."