Israel: Gaza rocket intercepted as PM held election rally

JERUSALEM — Israel mentioned a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into its southern territory Wednesday, forcing High Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be hustled from a stage correct thru anelectionrally within the metropolis of Ashkelon.

The Israeli protection force mentioned its air protection gadget, identified as Iron Dome, intercepted the rocket. There were no experiences of casualties.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz posted a video on its web keep exhibiting Netanyahu being taken to a shelter as he was campaigning hours earlier than the primaries of his Likud birthday celebration. The video showed Netanyahu and his wife slowly walking off the stage with security guards after sirens went off.

Netanyahu says he is conscious of options about how to guard Israel, however opponents accuse him of being tender on handling threats from Gaza.

Gideon Saar, Netanyahu’s challenger in Thursdayelections, called in aTwitterstatement for a “monumental nationwide consensus for dismantling the protection force infrastructure” of Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

A connected incident came about in September when Netanyahu was within the nearby metropolis of Ashdod. He was campaigning then for the 2d total Israeli election of the year. That was believed to maintain precipitated Israel’s targeted killing of a senior commander within the Islamic Jihad in November. Israel and Gaza militants had their worst round of battling in months as a result.

No Palestinian community claimed accountability for Wednesday’s attack. Such sporadic launches of rockets and ensuing Israeli airstrikes maintain came about repeatedly no topic an Egyptian-brokered end-fire that ended two days of battling in November.

Hamas, the higher Islamic circulate controlling Gaza, seeks “understandings” with Israel to alleviate Gaza’s financial and humanitarian crises. The militant community stayed on the sidelines correct thru the November flare-up.