Israel's Operation Protective Edge, Day 3: Hamas on Its Heels

TEL AVIV, Israel–On Thursday, Hamas jihadis fired 192 rockets from Gaza into Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces. 44 were successfully intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome short-range missile defense system, while 141 of the rockets struck Israeli territory. 

According to Red Alert, a free app that documents every time a missile is fired into Israel from outside of its borders, an additional three rockets were fired towards the city of Ashkelon shortly after midnight, and one more at Haifa, located more than 75 miles from Gaza. Almost 400 rockets have been fired into Israel since Operation Protective Edge began Tuesday.

Hamas has ramped up attacks on major cities and infrastructure sites within Israel. Four rockets were fired at Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, and another six were fired at Tel Aviv. Hamas terrorists also targeted Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor. In doing so, as Breitbart’s Joel Pollak points out, Hamas committed nuclear terrorism in direct violation of international law.

However, the Hamas terrorists have largely failed thus far in achieving their goal of inflicting as much pain and emotional trauma upon Israeli society, especially in Tel Aviv.

The citizens of Tel Aviv heard on several occasions Thursday the unmistakable sounds of war, as rockets were intercepted, causing midair explosions heard throughout the city. But for a handful of short interruptions, Tel Avivians largely remained unphased by it all and went about their daily routines as if no such conflict existed.

Israel’s south, however, has been under constant bombardment for the past few days. While residents of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have over a minute to find shelter after hearing the air raid sirens blare; those in close proximity to Gaza do not share that same luxury–and sometimes only have less than 10 seconds to find cover.

Twenty-six Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes Thursday, bringing the overall total to 86. There have also been an estimated 600 injured in Gaza. Hamas has been documented employing human shields for protection, causing a spike in civilian casualties. On Tuesday, footage caught in a television broadcast showed Hamas using human shields to act as a deterrent to an imminent attack on a Hamas military facility.

Hamas has notably setup missile launch sites close to or sometimes even inside civilian areas.

Late Thursday, Two Israeli soldiers were hurt when a mortar struck the Eshkol Regional Council area, located near the Gaza border. One was said to be moderately injured while the other sustained minor injuries.