(Israel Hayom/JNS) Prior to reports of a ceasefire, the Hamas terrorist organization threatened to escalate its response to airstrikes in Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces. Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri threatened: “We will respond with force to the criminal Zionist onslaught. Red lines have been crossed, and we will not remain silent.”

Ahead of the Israeli airstrikes on the coastal enclave in response to a rocket launched from Gaza that struck a home in the central Israeli moshav Mishmeret, injuring seven, Islamic Jihad head Ziad al-Nakhla had warned that “an Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip will result in a forceful response.”

According to reports coming out of the terrorist enclave, the rocket that struck Israel’s central Sharon region was likely launched from the vicinity of Rafah in southern Gaza. Nevertheless, senior Hamas officials told the Al Arabiya news channel and Al Jazeera network that the rocket’s launch had been the result of “human error.”

The assessment in Gaza is that senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials will head underground out of concern of targeted assassinations. It has also been reported that Hamas and the armed factions in Gaza have ordered the evacuation of command centers and bases.