In a significant escalation, red alert sirens were heard in Netivot and several other communities in the western Negev after at least 50 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip. In Netivot, a direct hit on a shop was reported, but there are no immediate reports of casualties. This comes after approximately 12 hours without rocket fire from the Gaza Strip towards Israel.
The municipality of Netivot reported that at least 50 rockets were fired towards the city. Magen David Adom (MDA) stated that, at this stage, there are no reported injuries, but MDA teams are being dispatched to areas where reports of rocket impacts were received to assess the situation.
Subsequently, it was reported that firefighting and rescue teams are operating in the area of Netivot following a direct hit on an electronics store. Firefighters are scanning the store and nearby shops to rule out any trapped or injured individuals. Concurrently, firefighting teams are scanning additional sites.
From the police, it was conveyed that "the police are currently dealing with a number of rocket impact sites with debris in the area of the city of Netivot. As a result, damage to a structure occurred, but at this stage, there are no reported injuries. Police officers and bomb disposal experts from the Southern District Police are currently operating at the scene, scanning for additional debris for the purpose of removing further risk to the public."