GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — On Oct. 17, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit an Israeli house in Beersheba, in southern Israel, causing significant damage. Yet, surprisingly, none of the Palestinian factions claimed responsibility for the rocket launch. Despite these factions previously having deemed attacks on southern Israel as justified "national action," they sought to distance themselves this time, raising questions as to why.
In a joint statement posted on the website of Hamas’ armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, on the same day, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad denounced the rocket. They claimed it was an attempt to undermine the Egyptian efforts to bring about a truce between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
In retaliation for the attack, the Israeli army struck 20 targets in the Gaza Strip Oct. 17, including tunnels and Hamas military posts. Following contacts between the factions’ leaders and Israeli and Egyptian officials, the factions refrained from retaliating to avoid any confrontation on a larger scale.
A high-level Egyptian security delegation, led by the director general of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate Ayman Badie, visited Gaza City Oct. 18. The directorate's chief of Palestinian affairs, Maj. Gen. Ahmed Abdel Khalek, met with the head of Hamas' political bureau Ismail Haniyeh as part of the Egyptian efforts for a long-term truce.
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