Hamas shelling Nahal Oz to prevent discovery of tunnels: sources

The continuous firing of mortar rounds by Hamas in the direction of Kibbutz Nahal Oz on Wednesday is aimed at disrupting operations by IDF engineering corps troops, who are using heavy machinery and advanced technology to locate the terrorist organization's infiltration tunnels, DEBKAfile's intelligence and counterterrorism sources said. Many salvos of mortar shells, and apparently a 105mm rocket, were fired from Gaza during the day. There were no injuries on the Israeli side of the border and the operations by the IDF are continuing.
The IDF declared the Nahal Oz area as a "closed military zone" in the afternoon and prevented journalists and others without permission from entering the kibbutz and its surrounding area. It also issued a warning to farmers to avoid the fields adjacent to the border fence until further notice. In the evening, Arab sources reported the Israeli Air Force was attacking targets in central and southern Gaza, and carrying out drone sorties above Rafah, the neighborhood of Sajaiya and the eastern suburbs of Gaza City.