Rocket Attack in the S­outh of Israel

Escalation in the South¹

On the morning of October 30 an arrangement was reached for a cease fire, brokered by Egypt and publicly agreed to by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) (Al-Hayat, October 31, 2011). Nevertheless, rocket and mortar shell fire into Israel territory continued on October 30 and 31, although fewer shells were launched than previously. As of the early afternoon of November 1, the south was quiet.

During the past week 45 rockets and 20 mortar shells landed in Israeli territory, among them standard Grad rockets with a range of more than 40 kilometers (25 miles). The rockets hit large cities (Ashdod, Ashqelon and Beersheba), towns and villages in the south. A resident of Ashqelon was killed and four civilians suffered minor to serious injuries. Several dozen people were treated for shock, and extensive property damage was caused. The Iron Dome air defense system intercepted four rockets.

A car directly hit by a rocket in Ashdod
(Photo by Edi Israel, reprinted courtesy of NRG)

The current round of escalation was led buy the PIJ. Approximately ten of its terrorist operatives were killed during the escalation, including Ahmed al-Sheikh Khalil, commander of the PIJ's engineering and manufacturing units. A high-ranking Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine operative, responsible for the organization's rocket unit in the Rafah district, was also killed (Wafa News Agency, October 30, 2011). On October 30 and 31 smaller terrorist organizations joined the rocket attacks, among them the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and a network calling itself the Free Sons of the Galilee (Filastin al-'Yawm and Wafa News Agency, October 31, 2011).

This was the first time since August 2011 (the round of escalation following the terrorist attack north of Eilat² ) in which massive barrages of long-range rockets were fired into Israel's south. Between August and about three weeks ago there was sporadic rocket fire, launched mainly by the rogue organizations. During the three weeks before October 26 there was complete quiet in the south of Israel. The ceasefire was also respected by the PIJ, in view of the agreement to exchange abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israeli jails.

Hamas did not participate in the latest round of escalation. Its activists blamed Israel for the escalation and thanked Egypt for its efforts to broker a ceasefire. Hamas issued a statement according to which the escalation was an Israeli attempt to ruin the joy the Palestinian people felt at the release of the prisoners and to leverage its security and social crises into an escalation against the Gaza Strip (Hamas' Palestine-info website, October 30, 2011). High-ranking Hamas figures said the following:

• Taher al-Nunu, spokesman for the de-facto Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, said that Israel was responsible for so-called "crimes" and was trying to represent itself as strong after having demonstrated its weakness by releasing the prisoners. He thanked Egypt for its efforts, noting that even as the escalation began Hamas maintained close contact with Egypt (Hamas' Palestine-info website, October 30, 2011).

• Musheir al-Masri, spokesman for the Hamas faction in the Palestinian Legislative Council, said that Hamas' position was clear and that the movement was prepared to stand up to any act of aggression (The PIJ's Paltoday website, October 30, 2011). He said that Hamas had consulted with the other [terrorist] organizations regarding a response, and that they were in contact with the Egyptians.

• Ahmed Bahar, first deputy chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council, warned Israel of the consequences of continuing the escalation. He said the "resistance" [i.e., terrorist organizations] in the Gaza Strip were capable of creating a "balance of terror" with Israel (Ma'an News Agency, October 30, 2011).

Rockets and Mortar Shells Fired into Israeli Territory ³

Rocket Fire -- Monthly Distribution

Mortar Shell Fire -- Monthly Distribution