Rockets at Civilians...From Behind Civilians
When a humanitarian zone becomes a terrorist's rocket launchpad
In this issue, I talk about the scourge of rocket fire from Gaza, Hamas rocket fire from near humanitarian zones in the Gaza Strip, provide operational updates on the latest and more.
With a population of 210,000, Be'er Sheva is the fourth largest city in Israel. Not to be confused with the biblical site of Tel Be'er Sheva, which is 4km (2 miles away), today it is a bustling metropolis and known as the capital of the Negev, Israel's southern desert region. Beyond being the site of many tech companies, it also hosts Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, one of Israel's largest universities.
And, like most Israeli cities, it too is subject to ongoing attacks from Gaza.
This started even before Israel's Disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
For example, nearly twenty years ago, on August 31, 2004, sixteen people were killed in two parallel suicide bombings that Hamas claimed responsibility for. One year later, another suicide bomber rocked Beer Sheva's Central Bus Station.
But let's talk rockets.
One of the most horrific aspects of Hamas' ongoing attacks is the steadily expanding rocket attacks on Israel. Rocket fire from the region started in 2001 and was largely limited to the surrounding communities. Over time, this rocket fire scaled in both quantity and quality.
By 2006, the year following the disengagement, rocket smuggling and local production translated into far larger quantities of rocket fire.
In total, 974 rockets and mortars were fired at Israel in 2006.
Each one of these is a terrifying experience that sends residents running to shelters. A siren sounds or the words “Tzeva Adom” (“Color Red”) blare and life is disrupted, many hundreds of times a year.
Today, there are 21-year-old adults who were born and grew up in a regular reality where rockets were intentionally launched at them, frequently leaving them just seconds to find shelter.
This brings us back to Be’er Sheva.
By the 2008 operation in Gaza, Be'er Sheva entered the range of Gaza's rockets.
Over time, larger and larger swaths of Israel would fall into range. This was fueled, in part, by Iranian rocket smuggling. For example, in March 2014 the IDF intercepted the Klos C, a container ship, that was carrying 40 long-range M-302 rockets and 181 mortar shells from Iran.
Today, most of the country's population is in range of these rockets and the number of rockets fired dwarf the numbers from decades ago.
In total, dozens of Israelis have been killed and many, many more have been left psychologically scarred. Of course, the number of casualties would have been far, far higher if not for the Iron Dome, Israel's aerial defense interceptor. And the number of casualties doesn't include the many Gazan casualties from the failed launches, like the Ah Ahli hospital incident.
Rockets, Beer Sheva and the 2023 War
On October 7, while terrorists on the ground were massacring and abducting Israelis in southern Israel, Hamas operatives simultaneously fired over 3,000 rockets from Gaza. In the succeeding 62 days, thousands more have been fired at Israelis across the country.
Be’er Sheva, of course, was in range and rocket fire continued… with one incident yesterday that sticks out.
Yesterday afternoon, at 3:59 PM, when many children were just finishing school, another volley of rockets was launched at Be'er Sheva. This was a tragically unexceptional event…besides for where the rockets were launched from.
These particular rockets were launched just 30 meters (about half a basketball court) from the humanitarian zone established to help the people of Gaza stay out of the line of fire.
This is shocking on many levels.
It is shocking that Hamas has - for twenty years now - indiscriminately rained down missiles on the people of Israel.
Where they are fired from is shocking. Hamas persistently hides its terrorist activity - tunnels, launch sites, command and control centers - under the homes, hospitals, mosques and schools in Gaza. It’s safer for Hamas to launch from there…because it endangers Gazans.
But intentionally taking the battle into the very humanitarian zone designed to protect the people of Gaza strikes me as more shocking still. Just look at it again:
This is just another in a growing list of proof points that for Hamas, the people of Gaza - wherever they are - are viewed as nothing more than human shields.
Oh, and the attacks from the humanitarian zone also actively endangered Gazans. Check this out:
One of the rockets launched yesterday actually landed inside of Gaza, like some 10% of all rockets do.
This is the reality of the threat that Israelis - and clearly Gazans - face every day from Hamas. Indiscriminate rockets fired - very intentionally - at civilians and from behind civilians.
Operational Updates
The IDF continued its operations against Hamas, expanding ground operations in Hamas’ Central Gaza Brigade. Khan Younis, a Hamas stronghold and home of Hamas leaders like Deif and Sinwar, was encircled, with the IDF commando brigade entering the city in tactical raids. During these operations in Khan Yunis, IDF troops killed Hamas terrorists and struck dozens of terror targets.
The IDF and Sin Bet announced that a few days ago, the IAF eliminated Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a senior terrorist operative from Hamas’ military intelligence unit.
Rantisi had been responsible for field intelligence in the Gaza Strip and participated in the planning of the October 7th massacre. He was eliminated in an attack on Hamas’s central intelligence command center along with Ahmed Aiush, a terrorist operative from Hamas’ Carrara Battalion observation unit.
Combined operations between the Israeli Air Force (IAF) and ground forces continue to provide itself. In one case yesterday, a terrorist cell was identified emerging from a shaft in the Khan Yunis area, armed with an RPG. IDF ground troops directed a UAV to strike the terrorists. The IDF troops then neutralized the tunnel shaft.
Rocket fire from Lebanon continued. In addition to IDF artillery and tank fire that responded toward the source of fire, IAF aircraft targeted a Hezbollah command center and infrastructure overnight.
Quote of the Day
"The combat in Khan Yunis is a major effort, I am impressed by how well it is being managed - you are in control, you are moving forward. There are moral objectives here, that guide us."
The Commander of the Southern Command, MG Yaron Finkelman addressing soldiers
Yesterday the IDF sent some half a million sufganiyot (traditional jelly donuts eaten on Hanukah) to soldiers in and around the Gaza Strip. That’s about 300 million calories, for those of you calorie-counting.
And if you’re celebrating, here’s wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Hanukah 🕎
Oh, and one last question for me.
I want true reports on civilian casualties in Gaza. Not the thousands reported by UN and left wing media
It has now been 8+ weeks since 10/7. The IDF and other Israeli forces have battered Hamas forces and hideouts. Yet the missiles continue - according to this report thousands by have been launched. How is it, with control of the land and sea around Gaza, the supply of rockets is not running out?