Hareidi-religious rioters in Ashdod blocked IDF military police late Monday night from arresting at least one man who did not show up at an induction center. Dozens of rioters overturned a police car and damaged several other police vehicles by throwing stones at them.

Police said in a statement, “A large number of Israel Police forces were deployed to the scene to extract the military policemen while dispersing the crowd. The police view this incident with the utmost severity and will use all the means at their disposal to locate those involved and bring them to justice.”

12:50 AM Reports that Hamas has gone underground (literally) and that IDF jets are buzzing Gaza.

11:05 PM Single interception above Ashdod.

10:50 PM Iron Dome launched. Reports of 2 explosions.

10:48 PM Second rocket alert.

10:47 PM Rocket Alert – Ashdod region.

Details to follow.

(JNi.media) A clash broke out Sunday night between ultra-Orthodox residents of Ashdod’s Third Quarter who were out to fulfill the custom of kapparot with chickens — and animal rights activists who tried to physically prevent them from carrying out the ritual, Haredim 10 reported.

The incident took place near the Belz Hasidic Institutions on Khativat Ha’Negev Street, when activists protested against the residents.

The activists turned over crates full of chickens, sprayed the birds with water, and even stole some of them.

As the struggle between the two parties ensued, police were called in and kept the activists out of the way.

An Eye Witnes told Haredim 10: “They broke into our territory and did here as they pleased. They stole chickens one by one into cars that were waiting on the street and just kept us physically from observing the custom of Kapparot. All this despite our explanations that the ritual is being done properly and there are no instances of cruelty to animals.”

A La’hish Region police spokesperson said: “A report was received at 5:30 PM at the 100 center (the local 911) of the Southern District Police, regarding a number of people who entered into the Belz Yeshiva on Khativat Ha’Negev Street in the city of Ashdod. Apparently they splashed water on chickens that were being offered for sale in the compound, which violated public order.

“Ashdod Police patrol cars arrived at the scene, and detained and removed some ten men and women (who are not residents of Ashdod) who were violating the public order. Apparently, the background to the event is the opposition of groups associated with animal rights to the practice of Kapparot.

“An inquiry by the officers at the scene indicated that there was no violence at all on the part of the demonstrators.

“At this point (Sunday night) police is on hand to maintain public order. The demonstrators have left and for the time being there is quiet in the yeshiva compound.”

Tal Amsalem was surfing off the coast of Ashdod, when a shark began circling him, just 50 meters from the shore, according to a report in the local AshdodNet website.

The event happened at Metzuda beach.

Amsalem heard people on the beach yelling “shark”, and then saw it circling him, at which point he quickly swam back to shore.

When he got to shore, he saw there were actually two sharks swimming fast in the water.

According to the report, sharks regularly swim in the area, staying in the deep water. There are no reports of any shark attacks along Israel’s coast.

Residents of southern Israel were wondering Tuesday night whether they would be sleeping in their beds or their bomb shelters again by morning. In Gaza, Hamas leaders were wondering the same thing.

A Grad Katyusha rocket attack was launched by Gaza terrorists Tuesday night on southern Israel. One rocket exploded in the community of Gan Yavne, near the port city of Ashdod. At least one teenage girl was taken to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon due to trauma from the attack.

Before midnight, Likud minister Miri Regev was already calling for a government response to the rocket fire aimed just a few hours earlier at civilians in the region. “It’s unfortunate that Hamas is trying to escalate the security situation in the south,” said Regev, a former IDF brigadier-general and spokesperson, currently serving as the government’s Minister of Culture and Sports.

The Hamas leadership began evacuating from their general security quarters after the attack. Gaza media outlets continued to broadcast the news that Hamas terrorist leaders are fleeing their headquarters, as they have in the past under such circumstances. The evacuation is expected to continue into the morning hours – or until all of the leadership is safely tucked away.

There was no immediately information about property damage resulting from the rocket fire. Five Code Red incoming rocket alert air raid sirens activated due to the launch — or launches — in communities that included Bnei Darom, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Lachish, in addition to Gan Yavne.

Things have been quiet for at least a month. Almost four weeks ago to the day, Gaza terrorists fired a Qassam rocket at the Gaza Belt city of Sderot. The rocket exploded on the outskirts of the city and did no damage but triggered air raid sirens in communities throughout the area and sent dozens of families scurrying for cover.

Tuesday’s attack was more serious, involving a more highly-powered rocket that went further north and was capable of far more damage. However, Israelis are for the most part well protected from such attacks due to frequent preparation drills by Home Front Command (two such drills are planned for the country in the coming days, as a matter of fact) and updated building codes that mandate built-in bomb shelters in each new housing unit.

Hamas has done nothing of the sort for its own people, however. As has been the standard in the past, there is nowhere for Gaza civilians to shelter or hide from any Israeli reprisal — in fact, the terrorist organization routinely urges civilians to stand on the roof of buildings in which rocket launchers are housed, and which are targeted for destruction by the Israeli Air Force.

The enclave’s Hamas terrorist rulers never built bomb shelters to protect their people from the reprisals they trigger after launching unprovoked attacks on southern Israeli civilians, assuming that gory photos of civilians deaths will evoke the endless sympathies of an international readership.

56 Hareidi Yeshiva students were arrested on Monday in mass protests against the arrest of 4 Hareidi draft dodgers the other week.

24 protesters are still being held in jail and the police are asking that their detention be extended, the rest were released.

Four students had files opened against them for violence and arson.

One student is suspected of hitting a policeman in the face with a metal bar.

The Hareidim are protesting against the arrest of 4 Yeshiva students who didn’t show up to the IDF draft office for review after they received their draft notices.

The protests were held in Jerusalem, Ashdod, on Road 444 near El Ad, at the Shilat junction near Modiin Ilit, and at the Bar Ilan bridge near Bnei Brak.

The most violent protest was in Ashdod, where 41 of the 56 students were arrested.

Haredim took to the streets Monday morning to protest the arrest of four yeshiva students who refused to report to the IDF draft center after receiving orders to enlist.

Protesters blocked traffic in Jerusalem, Modi’in and Ashdod before police dispersed them and arrest more than a dozen demonstrators.

There were no serious injuries.