Israel/Palestinian Territories: More Gaza-Israel cross-border incidents Dec. 12-13 /update 2

Event

Another rocket was reportedly launched from the Gaza Strip late Tuesday night, December 12, into the southern coastal city of Ashkelon, Israel. The rocket was intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. In response, the Israeli military carried out airstrikes on a Hamas military site in Gaza in the early hours of Wednesday, December 13. The airstrikes left three people injured, according to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip.

Context

In recent days, numerous rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, provoking retaliatory airstrikes and tank fire by the Israeli military on Hamas positions in Gaza. On December 8, two members of Hamas' armed wing were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel has stated that it holds Hamas accountable for all rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel, regardless of who specifically fires them. A previous spike in similar cross-border incidents was observed in late October, following the destruction of a tunnel from Gaza into Israel used by the militant faction Islamic Jihad.

Recent tensions in Israel and the Palestinian territories have surrounded US President Donald Trump's December 6 announcement that the US would officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a departure from the previous US and international position of neutrality on the status of the city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians. Many had strongly advised the US administration against the move, claiming it would inflame tensions across the Muslim world. Hamas has called for a new intifada ("uprising") to denounce the decision. Widespread protests across Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and the world have been observed in recent days.

The Gaza Strip has been under Hamas control, and subject to an Israeli-imposed blockade, since June 2007. Humanitarian conditions in Gaza have deteriorated over the past decade, including shortages of potable water and regular, widespread power cuts. The coastal enclave is one of the most densely-populated regions of the world, home to over 2 million people. 

Advice

Individuals in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are advised to monitor developments to the situation and to avoid all public demonstrations due to the risk of violence. A surge in anti-American and anti-Western sentiment is likely in some areas; all travelers, and Westerners in particular, are advised to maintain a low profile (do not discuss sensitive topics, do not stop to take photographs of demonstrations, etc.) and avoid unnecessary movements in the event of unrest.

More generally, due to the underlying terrorist threat, travelers in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are advised to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and to remain vigilant when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, etc.). As a reminder, several Western governments advise their citizens against all travel to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and areas near the Israeli-Lebanese, Israeli-Syrian, and Israeli-Egyptian borders.