A missile from Gaza forces Netanyahu to take cover and Israeli raids on positions in the Strip

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to leave an electoral event and take refuge in a safe place after the siren sounded after a missile was fired from the Gaza Strip, while Israeli fighters launched raids on sites in the Strip.

Israeli TV channels reported that a missile was fired from Gaza into the city of southern Israel on Wednesday, during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the city as part of his election campaign, forcing him to seek refuge in a safe place for a short period.

The Israeli army confirmed the launch of a missile at Ashkelon, 12 km from the Gaza Strip, and said that the Iron Dome Air Defense System had shot down the missile, which no one in Gaza had claimed responsibility for.

Israeli television channels showed Netanyahu, surrounded by his bodyguards, to escort him from the podium, and stated that he was taken to a protection shelter after the sirens sounded.

This is the second such incident after Netanyahu visited Ashdod in September, which was briefly interrupted by the siren sound.

Israel ignited the armed confrontation in Gaza in November when it assassinated Baha Abu al-Atta, a leader of the Islamic Jihad, accusing him of ordering a missile attack on Ashdod.

Netanyahu appeared in a video recording on social networks, smiling, and after he took the stage again in Ashkelon, "He (Abu al-Atta) is no longer present", among the cheers of the audience.

And criticized the opponents of Netanyahu - who is preparing today for the internal elections led by the Likud party - for his failure to stop the attacks from the Gaza Strip.

"The situation in which Israeli citizens live at the mercy of terrorists and in which the Prime Minister is unable to inspect parts of his country is a disgrace to security policy in the south," Benny Gantz, a former army chief, said in a statement on Wednesday. And the absence of deterrence is something that no sovereign country can accept. "

Raids on the sector
On the other hand, Israeli fighters launched raids on locations in the Gaza Strip.

Anadolu reported that the fighters fired rockets at Palestinian targets, including the Ashkelon site of the Al-Qassam Brigades - the armed wing of Hamas - in the northern Gaza Strip, and the port of Khan Yunis (south).

No injuries were reported as a result of these raids, which came about four hours after a missile was fired from Gaza towards Israeli areas bordering the Strip.