Rocket fired from Egypt's Sinai strikes southern Israel

A rocket fired from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula struck an open field in southern Israel on Monday morning, failing to cause any injury or damage, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.

The missile, striking just after 11:30am local time (10:30am CET), triggered an alarm known as Code Red in the Eshkol region, near Israel’s westernmost tip, at the border with Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

According to the IDF, the rocket was fired from the Sinai Peninsula, presumably by the Islamic State terrorist group’s affiliate there. However, no organisation took immediate responsibility for the attack.

After a search of the area, police found the rocket in the community of Yuval, near the Egyptian border, in a greenhouse where tomatoes were being grown.
The attack came as Jews in Israel were preparing for the holiday of Passover, and shortly after the government decided to close its side of the Taba Border Crossing between Eilat and Egypt in light of concerns of terrorist attacks targeting tourists in the volatile Sinai region.

It is expected to reopen next Tuesday 18 April, with the end of the Passover holiday, but that decision will only be made following a security assessment, the ministry said in a statement.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced the move in a statement that cited "the intensifying activities" of Islamic State-affiliated terrorists in the Sinai region in recent months.