A Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on Aug. 21 exploded in downtown Sderot, in southern Israel. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the explosion caused significant damage to a building. The rocket interrupted the relatively long-standing quiet in Sderot and other localities surrounding the Gaza Strip and interfered with preparations for a major music festival that opened that same evening. Since Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, rocket fire from Gaza has declined considerably. Nevertheless, Qassam rockets have occasionally been fired, mainly, in the words of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), by “recalcitrant” groups that have sprouted up in Gaza beneath Hamas’ radar.
Israel was quick to respond the same afternoon. A tank fired a shell or two at Hamas targets in Beit Hanoun, and an Israeli drone flying over Gaza at the time responded with symbolic fire against a few targets. To that point, everything was a matter of routine. The Israeli response followed the rules of the game eked out in blood and fire over the past two years: If a single rocket, or a few rockets, is fired from Gaza, Israel will respond by firing back immediately, and quiet is restored in a matter of hours.