Israel Election: Gaza Rocket Hits Near Southern Israeli City as Netanyahu Campaigns There

A rocket fired Tuesday from the Gaza Strip landed in an open area near the southern Israeli city of Be'er Sheva, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting the city as part of his Election Day efforts to encourage his supporters to go vote.

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The Israeli army said that it struck Hamas positions in the Strip late Tuesday night in response to the rocket fire.

A rocket alert sounded in the area during the incident, the Israeli military said. There were no reports of any casualties or damage.

Netanyahu's Likud party said he had already left Be'er Sheva when the rocket was fired.

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However, a local Likud activist who attended the prime minister’s campaign event said that Netanyahu was still there at the time of the firing.

The rocket fire comes after a two-month lull, as Israelis head to the polls for the fourth time in less than two years, and as Gaza-based Hamas prepares for the Palestinian general elections in May.

A week before Election Day in September 2019, Gaza factions fired two rockets at the Israeli city of Ashkelon during a Netanyahu campaign rally.

The rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, and prime minister was taken off the stage moments after the sirens began.