Eighth Rocket in 30 Days Fired at Israel

February 28, 2017

by: Ilse Posselt

Tuesday, 28 February 2017 | Over the past 30 days, eight rockets have been fired on the tiny Jewish state. The latest attack came in the predawn hours of Monday morning when a projectile from the Gaza Strip struck the Negev region in southern Israel.

According to the Israel Defense Forces [IDF], the incoming missile alert siren did not sound a warning as it was calculated that the rocket was not headed towards a populated area, The Times of Israel reported. The projectile struck an open field northeast of the Israel-Gaza border, causing neither damage nor injury.

Monday morning’s rocket was launched at roughly 4:15 am which is a rather uncommon time for terrorists to strike. Attacks from Gaza usually come during daylight hours, often during peak times, for instance while Israelis are making their way to or from work and school. The reasoning behind the particular times is presumably a ploy to bring maximum disruption to the activities of daily lives and to gain optimal media exposure.

A few hours later on Monday afternoon, Israeli Air Force (IAF) jets struck various Hamas terror targets in the coastal enclave. “In response to a rocket fired from Gaza that hit Israeli territory last night, the IAF targeted five Hamas positions throughout the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli military announced in a statement. “The IDF holds Hamas accountable for all attacks from the Gaza Strip that threaten Israel and her citizens.”

A Palestinian security source confirmed that the IAF struck a Hamas military base, an Islamic Jihad base in the north of the Strip and Hamas lookout posts along the Israel-Gaza border. According to the French press agency, Agence France-Presse, Israeli tanks on the border also fired on a number of targets.

In the two and a half years since Israel and Hamas last faced one another on the battle field in 2014’s Operation Protective Edge, rocket attacks against the Jewish state have hovered at a historic low, coming in at roughly one or two attacks per month.

Yet yesterday morning’s attack marks the eighth rocket fired on Israel over the last month. February began with the Islamic State or ISIS affiliate operating in the Sinai Peninsula close to the Egyptian border firing four rockets at the southern Israeli port city, Eilat. The Iron Dome system intercepted three of the projectiles while the fourth fell in an open area, causing no injury or damage.

Three days later, a rocket was fired from Gaza towards Israel’s Mediterranean port city of Ashkelon. The IDF responded by striking three military positions in the northern Gaza Strip from where the projectiles were fired.

Then, last week, ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula struck again, firing two rockets from near the Egyptian border into the Jewish state.

Although none of the eight projectiles caused injury or damage, the increased attacks over the past month signal an upsurge in hostilities, particularly from ISIS in Sinai and its allies in Gaza, Ynet News reports.

Over the past months, the Jewish state has remained consistent in acting on attacks from Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that Jerusalem would not stand for a “drizzle” of attacks on its civilians. “My policy is to respond strongly to any rocket fire. We are firm in this response.”

Israelis living close to the Gazan border have enjoyed 30 months of relative quite since Operation Protective Edge came to an end. Yet according to a senior IDF official, Hamas has spent that time preparing for the next war with the Jewish state. Speaking to Israel’s Channel 2 news in the beginning of February, the official said that Hamas has succeeded in rebuilding its military capabilities to the level prior to the 2014 war. The official explained that the Islamist terror group had replenished its arsenal of weapons, including their stockpile of rockets and rebuilt their terror tunnel network.

Posted on February 28, 2017

Source: (Bridges for Peace, 28 February 2017)

Photo Credit: IDF/ Ashernet