Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants gather at a mourning house for Palestinians who were killed during Israel-Gaza fighting, as a ceasefire holds, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Aug. 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

i24 News — The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist group began attack drills on Tuesday, which included launching a barrage of rockets into the Mediterranean Sea.

Due to the heightened risk, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the Home Front Command activated an alert for the area surrounding Gaza.

The IDF spokesperson stressed the “launches were carried out from the Gaza Strip towards the sea and did not cross into the territory of the State of Israel.”

Hamas, the PIJ, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) recently said the groups will step up their coordination in an effort to exact a higher price from the Jewish state.

The decision to “deal with Israel’s aggression” was made at a meeting in Beirut, attended by senior operatives from each of the Palestinian terror groups.

The drills simulating an attack on Israel, and the recent statement from the end of September, come amid heightened security tensions in the region, which had included near-daily riots on the Gaza border fence and a steady stream of intelligence reports regarding planned terrorist attacks against Israelis.