Intensifying attacks, Gazan terrorists fire numerous rockets at southern Israel
No injuries reported; rocket lightly damages road in Sderot; two projectiles intercepted over Netivot in first such incident since mid-January
Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired numerous rockets at southern Israel on Thursday, appearing to intensify their activities despite hopes among many that the military’s offensive against Hamas punctured their ability to strike the country.
There were no injuries reported in the attacks.
In the evening, two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at the southern city of Sderot, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
One rocket struck a road in the city, causing slight damage, the municipality said.
The IDF said the second projectile was intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.
Another was fired toward the coastal city of Ashkelon, which was also shot down, the IDF said.
השיגורים מעזה לעבר נתיבות הערב. pic.twitter.com/4zbodxDn5n
— Asslan Khalil (@KhalilAsslan) April 4, 2024
Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.
Earlier, two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip toward the southern city of Netivot were intercepted by the Iron Dome, in the first incident in the area since January 16.
In the afternoon, three rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip, setting off sirens in the border community of Kfar Aza.
According to the IDF, all three projectiles hit open areas.
The ongoing war erupted on October 7 when thousands of terrorists burst across the border and rampaged through southern communities under the cover of 3,000 rockets, murdering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 253 hostages to the Gaza Strip.
The IDF launched a grinding offensive to eliminate the Hamas terror group, which rules the enclave, and free the hostages. Hamas claims 32,000 Gazans have been killed — an unverifiable figure that does not distinguish between gunmen and civilians; Israel says it has killed 13,000 gunmen; over 250 IDF soldiers have been killed in Gaza.
Six months on, the military has achieved some successes in eliminating terrorist infrastructure and securing the release of hostages. However, Hamas’s top leaders remain at large, half the hostages — not all of them alive — remain captive, and the enclave is suffering a spiraling humanitarian crisis.
Thursday’s rockets were fired amid heightened tensions across the country, as it girds for an Iranian response to an alleged Israel strike that killed a top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general in Syria, and the final Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Authorities have expressed worries that violence could ratchet upward during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, though the past three weeks have not seen a major uptick in attacks.
