Two women were moderately hurt and five others, including a toddler, lightly wounded after a rocket fired by Gaza militants struck a residential house in a community north of Kfar Saba; Netanyahu cuts his Washington trip short in light of the rocket attack
An early morning rocket from the Gaza Strip struck a house in central Israel on Monday, wounding seven people, an Israeli rescue service said, an attack that could set off another round of violence shortly before the Israeli election.
The sounds of air raid sirens woke up the residents of the residential Sharon area, northeast of Tel Aviv, sending them scurrying to bomb shelters. A strong sound of an explosion followed.
The Israeli military said it identified a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip. Israeli police said the rocket hit a residential home in the community of Mishmeret, north of the city of Kfar Saba, setting off a fire and destroying the house.
The Magen David Adom rescue service said it was treating seven people, including two women who were moderately wounded. The others, including two children and an infant, had minor wounds.
Gaza is controlled by Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel’s destruction and possesses a large arsenal of rockets and missiles capable of striking deep inside Israel. The territory is home to other militant groups, including Islamic Jihad, an Iranian-backed armed organization that also has a formidable rocket arsenal.
The outburst comes at a sensitive time for both sides. Israel is holding national elections in 15 days. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is locked in a tight fight for re-election and could face heavy criticism from his opponents if he is seen as ineffective against the militants.