IDF strikes Hamas targets in Gaza after rocket fired at Israel

The IDF carried out an airstrike in Gaza on Friday night after Hamas shot a rocket towards the Eshkol Regional Council in the south of Israel. The rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome.

The IDF made a statement that they struck a Hamas position used for shooting, a storage facility next to a school and mosques, and a military facility that creates cement for tunnels.

“Once again, Hamas proved that they purposely place their assets at the heart of the civilian population in Gaza,” they wrote in a tweet. “The IDF will continue to strike against terror attempts and sees Hamas as responsible for all that is done in the Gaza Strip.”

פעם נוספת הוכיח ארגון הטרור חמאס כי הוא ממקם במכוון את נכסיו בלב האוכלוסייה האזרחית ברצועת עזה.
התקיפות הלילה בוצעו בתגובה לירי הרקטה לשטח ישראל מוקדם יותר.
צה”ל ימשיך להגיב בתקיפות כנגד ניסיונות הטרור ורואה בארגון הטרור חמאס כאחראי לכל הנעשה בשטח הרצועה

Meanwhile, attacks and riots broke out all across the West Bank on Friday afternoon and into the night.

An attempted stabbing attack took place at Lion’s Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on Friday afternoon.

The suspect, a 50-year-old resident of east Jerusalem, came to the gate where he attempted to stab Israel Police officers in the area. He was immediately stopped and arrested, a police spokesperson stated.

According to police, one of the officers was slightly injured by a firing squad during efforts to stop the terrorist at the scene.

מסתער עם הסכין לעבר השוטרים – נורה: תיעוד ניסיון הפיגוע בירושלים@VeredPelman pic.twitter.com/9vwD5IiAo4

Magen David Adom medics and paramedics arrived at the scene to provide medical care to a 19-year-old Border Police officer who was slightly injured in the leg. He was evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

The Jerusalem District Commander, Superintendent Doron Turgeman, visited the officer at the center, praising the police and their quick response.

The alleged attacker, Dr. Hazem al-Julani, was transferred to Hadassah-University Medical Center on Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus, where he died of his wounds shortly after.

Julani was a medical doctor who worked at the Shamir Medical Center. Security forces raided his home in Shuafat and arrested some members of his family, Army Radio reported. He was a director at the Rian College of Complementary Medicine.

A Palestinian source told Ynet that Julani has been in a difficult mental state recently due to heavy financial debts. The source said that Giulani had even tried to commit suicide earlier this week.

Hamas welcomed the attempted attack: “The Palestinian people will not stand by in the face of enemy aggression against our prisoners. In the coming days, there will be more resistance operations, for the freedom of the prisoners,” they said, according to Army Radio.

The entrances to the Temple Mount were closed after the attempted stabbing attempt, Walla reported.

There were reported clashes between Palestinian youth and Israeli forces in the town of Shuafat, where Julani is from on Friday night, according to Palestinian news outlet Al-Aqsa Radio.

There were also violent clashes that broke out between Palestinians and IDF forces in a number of areas in the West Bank, including Hebron, Beit Umar, Kalkilya, and Beita on Friday afternoon and Friday night, Army Radio reported.

The disturbances, which included throwing stones and burning tires, took place as a sign of solidarity with the fleeing prisoners and in protest of the Israel Prisons Service’s measures against security prisoners.

The IDF reportedly fired live bullets in response.

There were also reported confrontations between Palestinian rioters and IDF soldiers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, also in solidarity with the escaped prisoners, according to the Palestinian media outlet Safa Press Agency.

Dozens demonstrated in Haifa as a sign of solidarity with the terrorists who escaped from Gilboa Prison. The protesters waved flags and chanted nationalist chants, under police supervision, Walla reported.

These events come shortly after riots that occurred overnight Wednesday, where Palestinians numbering in the hundreds clashed with Israeli troops in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, firing at IDF troops in Ramallah.