Terrorists in Gaza launched over 300 rockets at Israel on Wednesday, terrorising millions of people and endangering Israelis and Palestinians alike.
All of the rockets were fired by terrorists from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror group, an outlawed terrorist organisation that primarily operates from the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday Israel assassinated three senior commanders within the terror group and expected the incoming rocket fire.
Around one fifth of these rockets, more than 50 in number, failed to reach Israel and landed inside Gaza, likely causing death and injury to their own people and infrastructure.
On the Israeli side, around one and a half million Israelis were forced to seek refuge in bomb shelters. There were dozens of videos circulating online showing sirens going off, weapons streaming across the sky and Israelis laying for cover as they waited to hear the explosions of rockets being taken out by Israel’s Iron Dome.
The Iron Dome is a defensive missile system. It scans the sky with radars and when a terror rocket is fired towards Israel, it launches a rocket to intercept it mid air. At least 60 rockets were shot down in this manner as of the early evening on Wednesday. Around 100 rockets landed in open fields and other unpopulated areas in Israel, or in the sea.
There were reports of damage to properties in Israel. A greenhouse on a Kibbutz was damaged, a home was struck, but fortunately the family weren’t home, and there were other reports of damage, but fortunately only minor injuries were reported on the Israeli side. Around a dozen people were injured while running for shelter or treated for nervous shock.
In Gaza Israel struck a number of terror targets, killing several terrorists who were in the process of carrying out terror attacks. Israeli forces also struck rocket launcher sites in Gaza.
“We are striking who is launching rockets at us,” IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in response to a question by The Times of Israel. “Islamic Jihad is leading this rocket fire. If other factions join, we will respond against them too.”
As of now, Hamas has not joined in the attacks despite previously saying there was unity among the Palestinian factions. Hamas rules the Gaza Strip and is a stronger military force than PIJ, if they get involved the conflict will be far more intense.
The IDF has said that the goals of Operation Shield and Arrow, which is their latest campaign against PIJ, have already been met with the assassination of three senior Islamic Jihad leaders early on Tuesday morning. The IDF is currently looking to prevent rocket fire from PIJ and hinder their attacks against Israeli citizens. The IDF is reacting to PIJ actions for the time being and is not seeking to further escalate an already volatile situation.
This is a developing situation and we encourage Christian’s who love Israel to pray for Israel at this time.
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