The IDF has attacked over 35 targets in Gaza and demolished a tunnel near Kerem Shalom that went into Egypt and back in the direction of the Israeli border, a military spokesman said Tuesday afternoon following a day in which Israeli communities in the south came under several barrages of mortar and rocket fire from the Strip.

“We will not accept a situation in which a terrorist organization is firing into our communities,” said the IDF Chief Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Ronen Manelis. “Since the afternoon, we have been conducted a number of attacks in Gaza on a scale not seen since Operation Protective Edge (in 2014). We have attacked over 30 terrorist targets across the Strip.

Following a consultation with  Chief of Staff, Maj.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said: Hamas and Islamic Jihad are already paying a very  heavy price, and we have only just begun. We have not intention of returning to business as usual or containing the event.”

The IDF spokesperson’s unit said several Hamas and Islamic Jihad installations had been attacked  including ammunitions warehouses, naval targets and command centers.

In addition,IDF forces neutralised an offensive terror tunnel leading from Gaza towards Egyptian territory and then winding towards Israeli territory. The military said the tunnel served a dual purpose: facilitating terror attacks and the transfer of weapons to Egyptian territory. The tunnel was discovered while being dug adjacent to the Kerem Shalom crossing, a main entry point for humanitarian aid for Gaza civilians.

The tunnel was the tenth to be destroyed by the IDF since October.