Hamas Issues Ultimatum On Jerusalem, IDF Sends Reinforcements To Gaza Border

The Israel Defense Forces IDF said it was sending reinforcements to the Gaza Division on Monday as terror groups in the Strip threatened to step up their attacks in light of growing unrest in Jerusalem.

Shortly after the military announced the move, terrorists in the enclave fired a mortar shell toward southern Israel, which failed to clear the border and landed inside the Strip, the IDF said.

The military also announced it was closing down a number of roads and sites around Gaza, as well as train service in the area, fearing that they may come under attack shortly. Air traffic in and out of Israel was diverted away from the Strip, with planes traveling on flight paths to the north of Ben Gurion International Airport.

The city of Ashkelon opened its public bomb shelters on Monday evening as a precautionary measure, its mayor Tomer Glam said.

The Hamas terror group threatened Israel with an ultimatum on Monday afternoon, saying all Israeli security forces had to be removed from the Temple Mount and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem by 6 p.m., or else the so-called “joint operations room” — a body representing the various terror groups in the Strip — would attack.

On Monday morning, Palestinian terrorists fired three rockets toward the southern town of Sderot and surrounding communities, one of which was shot down. The other two apparently struck open fields, causing neither damage nor injury.