IDF: Slow rate of rocket fire suggests Hamas readying for long war

By Emanuel Fabian

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12 October 2023, 9:30 am

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Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

The scene where a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian terrorists hit a building and cars in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, October 11, 2023 (Edi Israel/Flash90)

The chief of the military’s Home Front Command, Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, says the slow rate of rocket fire over the past day indicates Hamas is preparing itself for a long war.

“We have identified the behavior of Hamas, which realizes that it is entering a long war,” Milo says in a call with reporters.

“Hamas is managing the fire in a way that is meant for weeks [of fighting], and they dropped to a rate of fire of around 200-400 rockets per day, to allow themselves a very long fight,” he says.

Milo says Hamas is targeting central Israel once or twice a day to keep many Israelis under the threat of rocket fire.