IDF soldiers sit next to artillery shells in an area near the border with Gaza, in southern Israel, Nov. 13, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Amir Cohen.

JNS.org – Israel targeted three Hamas sites in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday night after a rocket was launched at southern Israel from the Hamas-ruled territory, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The rocket, which was fired at the Eshkol region, triggered a Color Red alert before falling in an open area, causing no casualties or damage, said the military.

In response, the IDF said tanks shelled “three Hamas military posts” in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Israel-Gaza border has been relatively calm in recent weeks, as both parties have been focusing on fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Tuesday’s attack was the first time in more than 40 days that terrorist groups in Gaza have fired on Israel.

The IDF responded to the rocket fire in March by attacking “military positions and infrastructure used for underground activity by Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip,” according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.