15-16 Sivan 5778
29-30 May 2018
TODAY’S BLOG AND BREAKING NEWS
Southern Israel Under Attack!
UPDATE 7:00 AM Wednesday Israel Time
It has now been 25 hours since the outbreak of missile and mortar fire from Gaza.
In the last three hours, despite insistence that there is a ceasefire, Palestinian terrorists have launched 2 more attacks on southern Israel: at 5:04 am, and 5:15 am.
UPDATE 4:00 AM Wednesday Israel Time
Everyone in southern Israel is spending the night in their bomb shelters listening to missiles and mortars explode all around them.
In the last four hours since our last update, there have been 10 more missile/mortar barrages from Gaza launched by Palestinian terrorists in an attempt to kill Israeli men, women, and children: at 12:40 am, 12:59 am, 1:08-1:13 am, 1:24-1:28 am, 2:15 am, 2:26 am, 2:34 am, 2:56 am, 3:03 am, and 3:16 am.
All of these attacks came after Israeli television broadcast the news at 11:00 that a ceasefire had been declared.
Meanwhile, the IDF continues to do absolutely nothing to stop the missile and mortar fire–and one wonders frankly if it can do anything short of a campaign targeting Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders. As usual, the air force is “attacking” warehouses (empty buildings), training compounds (empty fields), and Hamas observation posts (empty sand dunes).
Our response to the incessant attacks is pathetic, and bodes poorly for the day when Hezbollah decides to launch its 200,000 GPS guided missiles at Israel.
UPDATE 12:00 AM Wednesday Israel Time
Since the update at 9:30 pm, there have been five more missile/mortar attacks on southern Israelis: a barrage at 10:08 pm, another barrage between 10:26 and 10:31 pm, another attack at 11:33 pm, another at 11:41 pm, and an ongoing barrage since 2 minutes ago.
It is now estimated that some 120 missiles and mortars have struck southern Israel since this latest outbreak of violence began. Many of the missiles were made in Iran.
If anything, the attacks seem to be increasing in intensity. Here’s a map of what was targeted in the 10:26-10:31 barrage alone:
The most intense of these attacks were in the vicinity of Yad Mordechai north of Gaza.
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UPDATE 9:30 PM Israel Time
In the last two hours, there have been three more missile/mortar attacks: a barrage between 7:48 pm and 7:57 pm, another attack at 8:24 pm, and a third at 9:13 pm.
It is not clear how many more mortars and missiles have hit Israel.
As you can tell from the reportage, Islamic Jihad and Hamas are focusing on mortar attacks because they learned in 2014 that this was a way to kill more Israelis.
Other items:
*The Security Cabinet has met, and in a rare criticism of the IDF, is demanding that “real targets” be hit in Gaza in response to the ongoing mortar and missile fire.
*One of the missiles aimed at Israel has severed the three electrical lines carrying electricity from Israel to Gaza. This follows Palestinian destruction of the gas pipeline into Gaza last week, and the burning of the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
UPDATE 6:30 PM Israel Time
The playground of the kindergarten that was hit by a missile today (photo Yedida Harush).
Southern Israel has been under attack for the last 11 hours.
Incoming missile sirens sounded at 6:06 pm, 4:15 pm, 4:03 pm, 3:57 pm, 3:07 pm, 2:53 pm, 2:45 pm, 2:40 pm, 9:36 am, 8:02 am, 6:58 am.
At least 82 missiles and mortars have struck in numerous locations. A few hours ago, PM Netanyahu tweeted this:
PM Netanyahu’s tweet about what had taken place up until 12 pm.
A few hours later, the IDF spokesman reported that “more than 25 mortars” had been fired at southern Israel. Israeli television is now reporting that more than 50 “missiles and mortars” have been fired. In a few more hours, the television stations will catch up with the numbers we are reporting on israelstreet.
Citizens on the ground have reported hearing dozens of explosions–some from missile or mortar impacts and others from Iron Dome intercepts.
Thus far, an Israeli kindergarten and buildings in Netivot have been hit, and at least 5 people have been wounded including a soldier who was hit by shrapnel from a mortar. MADA has treated numerous people for trauma.
The points of missile strikes from early this morning:
As you can see, these strikes were concentrated along the border with southern Gaza near the Kerem Shalom Crossing but extended as far north as Sderot.
As you can see, the strikes at 2:53 pm were centered on Sderot and the surrounding area beside the northern border with Gaza.
A new version of the Iron Dome has been shooting down mortars all day. It is able to shoot down an incoming mortar within seconds of its being fired from Gaza. However, as can be seen from the strike on the kindergarten, it has not been completely successful.
How is the IDF responding?
All we know so far is that 3 empty Islamic Jihad training camps and 1 empty Hamas training camp have been bombed. More than this another tunnel has been destroyed: this one ran from Gaza under Israel into Egypt at Rafah.
We will continue to update the situation throughout the day and evening.
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