Rocket fire continues despite talk of an imminent ceasefire

Though no rockets were fired between 1 a.m. and 9 a.m., several salvos were launched towards border communities. Rocket and mortar fire continued throughout the day, with sirens sounding in the cities of Ashkelon, Ashdod, Beersheba and neighboring communities.

Several rockets struck homes in Ashkelon and Ashdod, causing extensive damage. A 26-year-old man was lightly injured due to glass shards and other debris after a house was hit. He was taken to Barzilai Medical Center by the Magen David Adom rescue service for medical treatment. Another direct rocket strike was reported in Nativ Asra, adjacent to the Gaza Strip, with no injuries. 

The spokesperson for Ashkelon’s municipality said that there were also reports of two more rockets slamming into the southern city. Mayor Tomer Glam asked residents not to come to the scene where the rocket fell, saying in a statement that “the silence is dangerous and here we see how in seconds we [can see] a direct hit inside the city. We are still in a state of war and care must be taken to adhere to the guidelines.”

Hamas also fired an anti-tank missile toward an empty military bus near the community of Zikim.

A preliminary investigation found that the bus was on its way to bring back about ten paratroopers from a mission and had traveled on non-exposed routes and dropped off soldiers in the permitted area. After the soldiers got off, the bus advanced a few more meters outside the base, where it was exposed, and was hit by an anti-tank missile.

One soldier standing next to the vehicle was lightly wounded by shrapnel during impact and was taken to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. There were no other injuries.

After the incident, Gaza terrorists intensified mortar fire to the area. 

It’s the third time that a vehicle has been hit by anti-tank fire. 

Later in the day, the IDF said that it carried out an airstrike against a car in the northern Gaza Strip claiming that those inside were part of an anti-tank cell belonging to Hamas. The military said it also destroyed a launchpad in Beit Lahiya where a cell launched an anti-tank missile towards the bus.

A SENIOR commander in the Gaza Division told reporters on Wednesday that anti-tank guided missiles are a major threat and that there have been 40 strikes against ATGM cells. Due to the focus of the military against those cells, Hamas only has around a dozen launchers left and feels hunted and vulnerable, he said.

The targets hit on Thursday included a number of drone launcher, four tunnels, a military operations room and several Hamas rocket launchers including a multi-barrel one. According to the IDF, some of the launchers were above ground and some had been buried in order to make them more difficult for Israel to strike.

Targets struck also included weapons production sites and several launch and underground positions, as well as weapons storage units located inside the residence of the former Minister of Justice and Released Prisoners who previously served as a member of the Hamas Political Bureau.

Other residences where the IDF said military infrastructure was placed, were also hit. The homes included that of Ashraf Al-Jabari who is in charge of training in the Hamas terror organization’s military wing in Khan Yunis; Muhammad Abu Mustafa, a commander in the Nuhba Forces of the Hamas East Khan Yunis battalion; Muhammad Bu’ab, commander of the Hamas East Rafah battalion; and Osama Abu Anza, who serves as head of the surface-to-surface missile unit in the Khan Yunis Brigade.

According to the IDF, over 4,000 rockets and mortars have been fired since the beginning of the fighting. About 70 rockets and mortar shells were fired between 7 p.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday, with 10 falling short into Gaza.