(New York Times) Nadav Gavrielov - As Israel wages a war in Gaza aimed at dismantling Hamas' military capacity, the armed group and its affiliates have continued to fire rockets at Israel nearly every day. Since Oct. 7, Hamas and other armed groups have fired 12,000 rockets into Israel, a quarter of them on Oct. 7, the Israeli government has said. The ongoing salvos, although less frequent than at the start of the war, are an indication of the size of Hamas' arsenal. In nearly three months of war, 15 people in Israel have been killed in strikes and 700 others injured, according to Israel's emergency services. Israeli officials have said the rocket attacks show that Hamas is continuing to terrorize Israeli civilians. "If we don't diminish Hamas' rocket-firing capabilities, Hamas will continue firing rockets at Israelis," IDF chief spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Wednesday. Many rocket launches early in the war were from northern Gaza, where the Israelis say they now have operational control. Israel has accused Hamas of using civilian centers like hospitals and crowded neighborhoods as cover for their military operations. The military recently publicized video that shows rockets and launching infrastructure that soldiers found near a mosque, in a compound used for youth activities, in playgrounds, and near children's swimming pools. Some 10-20% of Hamas rockets fail and fall into Gaza, killing Palestinians, Human Rights Watch said in a recent report.
2023-12-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive