Comments by Benny Gantz come as Israel continues to threaten a ground invasion of Rafah
Israel intercepted what appeared to be an attack launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Thursday near the port city of Eilat, as the group escalates its assaults over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, authorities said.
The Associated Press (AP) report that sirens sounded early Thursday morning over Eilat, followed by videos posted online of what appeared to be an interception in the sky overhead. The Israeli military later said the interception was carried out by its Arrow missile defence system.
Israel did not identify what the fire was, nor where it came from, say AP. However, the Arrow system intercepts long-range ballistic missiles with a warhead designed to destroy targets while they are in space.
The system “successfully intercepted a launch which was identified in the area of the Red Sea and was en route to Israel,” the Israeli military said. “The target did not cross into Israeli territory and did not pose a threat to civilians.”
The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack. They typically acknowledge assaults they conduct hours afterward.
Oxfam’s head of policy and advocacy, Katy Chakrabortty said the “playground politics” in the UK parliament vote on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel was a “disgrace”.
The people of Gaza can’t wait for our politicians to stop squabbling. Much of the country lies in ruins and Rafah, where many Palestinian families have been forced to flee, is under threat of a full-scale military offensive. Children in the north of Gaza are dying from hunger because no aid can reach them due to Israel’s continued assault and restrictions on access.