A total of 104 rockets were fired into Israel between Tuesday and Wednesday, most by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad with some minor participation from Hamas, the IDF confirmed on Wednesday morning.
In response, Israel countered with approximately 16 airstrikes, mostly on Hamas positions, to hold the group responsible for what occurs in Gaza.
IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari said that despite an apparent ceasefire starting around 5:30 a.m. “all options are on the table” should any Palestinian group fire additional rockets at Israel.
Most of the Israeli strikes in Gaza focused on Hamas’ armament capabilities, including weapons factories, operational headquarters for its naval forces, underground tunnels and other similar sites, with indications that only one Hamas member was killed.
Despite the low number of casualties on the Gaza side, Hagari denied that Israel had avoided targeting Hamas sites with personnel who were present.
Smoke rises following an Israeli air strike in Gaza May 2, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMMED SALEM)Hagari said that Hamas had participated with land-to-air missiles against Israeli aircraft which were not particularly effective, but had mostly left the fighting to Islamic Jihad.
He said that this was an early sign that Hamas did not want a major conflict and eventually led the group to force the ceasefire on Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Several injured in direct rocket fire
Of the 104 rockets fired into Israel, 11 fell in the sea, 14 fell in Gaza, 24 were shot down by Iron Dome, 48 fell in open areas and the IDF said that the location of the remaining 7 was still unclear.
Although most media outlets reported around a dozen Israeli injuries, Hagari said that only three were injured directly by rocket fire, including a foreign worker from China in Sderot, who remains the only moderately injured person on the Israeli side.
Hagaru rejected media estimates of Iron Dome‘s effectiveness dropping to 70%, saying its effectiveness remained around 90%, but did not address the discrepancy in reports on the issue in detail.
The latest conflict between Israel and the factions in Gaza started Tuesday morning when Palestinian Islamic Jihad official Khader Adnan died after an 86-day hunger strike while in Israeli administrative detention.
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