From the Liveblog of
Sunday, May 14, 2023
IDF statistics on Gaza fighting: 1,500 rockets launched, 400 PIJ targets struck
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces publishes statistics from the five-day Operation Shield and Arrow against Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip.
According to the IDF’s data, Palestinian terrorists launched 1,468 rockets and mortars at Israel during the conflict.
The military says 290 of the rockets, or one in five, landed short in the Gaza Strip, and another 39 landed in the sea, while 1,139 rockets crossed the border to Israel. Air defense systems intercepted 430 rockets, marking a 95% interception rate of rockets headed for populated areas.
A handful of rockets landed in populated areas, causing one death and several injuries, as well as damage. The rest of the rockets landed in open areas, which also resulted in one death and the injury of two others.
The IDF says it carried out strikes against 422 Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip, including eight military sites, 19 command centers, 12 weapons manufacturing sites, 122 rocket launchers, 63 mortar launching sites, 10 squads launching rockets and mortars, and 21 targeted killings — including against six senior members.
The Air Force carried out the strikes with 120 fighter jets, 14 combat helicopters and an unspecified number of drones. The aircraft used 250 tons of munitions (a total of 390 bombs). Drones carried out a total of 115 strikes. And ground forces carried out 10 strikes.
The IDF says it killed a total of 21 terror operatives during the fighting. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported 33 deaths during the fighting. The IDF says at least four civilians were likely killed by failed rockets, and a number of civilians were killed during the initial strikes of the operation, targeting senior Islamic Jihad members.
Speaking to reporters, the head of the IDF Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano, says the surprise strikes on Tuesday were key to what the military views as a very successful operation.
Toledano says defensive activities continue on the Gaza border, after the ceasefire.
