Sunday, 29 Dec 2024

Netanyahu Cuts Short U.S. Trip After Gaza Rocket Strikes Near Tel Aviv

A rocket launched from Gaza struck a house in central Israel early on Monday, injuring six people, setting off air raid sirens in the country and forcing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short his visit to the United States.

The rocket hit an Israeli home at 5:20 a.m. on Monday, the Israel Defense Forces said on Twitter. Reporters from Israeli news outlets tweeted early on Monday that the rocket hit at least one civilian home, injuring at least six people, including two children.

Magen David Adom, an Israeli rescue service, said in a Twitter post that the group was treating the victims. It said a 50-year-old woman had been moderately wounded in the attack and that the others were slightly injured.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility in the attack. The home that was hit was in the Kfar Saba region, north of Tel Aviv, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The apparent rocket attack comes less than two weeks after Israel and Hamas worked to de-escalate tensions after rockets from Gaza were fired at Tel Aviv.

Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel’s destruction, is one of only two groups in Gaza known to possess rockets with a range capable of reaching Tel Aviv and the surrounding area. The other is Islamic Jihad, which shares a similar ideology.

On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said explosives had been “hurled” during riots in Gaza, near the Israeli border, and that Israel had struck two Hamas posts in response.

While in Washington this week, Mr. Netanyahu was expected to meet President Trump and address a policy conference organized by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as Aipac.

Benny Gantz, a three-star general and Mr. Netanyahu’s chief opponent in an upcoming election, called on Monday for the prime minister to return home immediately to deal with the aftermath of the attack.

“The reality in which Hamas turned Israel into a hostage is unprecedented and unfathomable,” Mr. Gantz wrote on Twitter. “Netanyahu has to pack up now and return to Israel to handle this serious escalation.”

The prime minister’s office said on Monday that Mr. Netanyahu would cut short his visitafter he meets with President Trump, according to local news media and The Associated Press.

Mr. Netanyahu had been expected to address the Aipac conference on Tuesday.

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