On Thursday afternoon Gazan terrorists opened mortar and rocket fire on Israel, eliciting an IAF airstrike in response which took out two concealed missile launchers in northern Gaza.

The IDF Spokesperson Unit statement stressed that the IDF will not tolerate any attempts to harm Israel or its citizens. The statement further placed responsibility for the attack on the Hamas terrorist organization currently governing Gaza.

Gazan residents related unverified reports to AFP that prior to the mortar strike “six military bulldozers accompanied by several tanks” crossed the border near Khan Yunis in southern of Gaza, with the Arab reports adding that terrorists “fired several mortar rounds at the Israeli forces.” The terrorist group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the mortar strike.

IDF representatives did not confirm the unverified reports but said the rocket and mortar fire left no casualties or damage.

This most recent clash comes just over a year after the Pillar of Defense counter-terror operation in Gaza. To commemorate the year Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited soldiers near Gaza on Tuesday and praised Israeli deterrence which led to “a decrease of 98% in rocket and mortar shell fire.”

Of late the Egyptian brokered ceasefire following Pillar of Defense has been faulty at best.  On October 31 Hamas attacked IDF soldiers as they were destroying Hamas terror tunnels, in a clash which left 5 soldiers injured and 4 terrorists killed.

Just last week Hamas officials pledged to continue building terror tunnels and continue their terror war to destroy Israel.