Israeli warplanes carried out three consecutive rounds of airstrikes against Gaza Strip targets. Two strikes were carried out last night (Aug. 20), and one early this morning. According to reports by the army, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fighter jets first hit a cement facility providing materials for tunnels used by Gaza terror groups and a site where rockets are manufactured. The third air raid targeted a Hamas underground infrastructure.

The IDF attacks followed a barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. In all, 12 rockets and projectiles were launched from Gaza, with six of the seven rockets intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. Still, one rocket hit a house in the southern town of Sderot, causing considerable damage. No injuries were registered from the rockets. Pictures and videos shared on social media of the home that was struck showed a kitchen blown apart and large holes in walls and the roof.

Thousands of Israelis residing in the south of the country spent the night in bomb shelters, as warning sirens kept sounding. One woman fell and was injured on her way to the shelter during the red alert siren, and three people were treated for anxiety. 

Last night’s volley of rockets and projectiles marks a major escalation of violence on the Israel-Gaza border. Over the past few weeks, Palestinian militants in Gaza renewed the launching of incendiary and explosive-laden balloons, igniting more than 200 fires in the south of Israel. They also fired rockets sporadically. On Aug. 20, 42 bush fires were sparked by balloons. The IDF issued last night a statement saying, "We hold Hamas responsible for all terror activity emanating from Gaza."