Southern Israel under steady rocket barrage for sixth day

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Communities in southern Israel came under a steady barrage of rockets in the sixth day of Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza.

At least 50 rockets were fired from Gaza toward southern Israel on Monday, through early afternoon.

A woman in Ashkelon was wounded from rocket fragments while searching for a bomb shelter. Rockets fell in Sderot, Ashkelon, Ofakim, and Shaar Hanegev. The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted rockets over those communities and over Beersheva. 

Overnight Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces targeted some 80 of what it called “terror sites” throughout the Gaza Strip, including under-ground rocket launching sites, terror tunnels and training bases, “inflicting severe damage to the rocket launching capabilities of terror organizations operating out of the Gaza Strip,” according to the IDF spokesman.

The IDF also targeted buildings owned by senior terrorist operatives, used as command posts and weapon storage facilities, according to the IDF. The IDF also targeted rocket launching squads as they prepared to fire rockets towards Israel.

More than 90 Palestinians, both terrorists and civilians, have been killed since the start of the operation, according to the IDF.

More than 540 rockets have fallen inside Israel in the six days since the start of operation Pillar of Defense, all but 35 in non-residential areas. Iron Dome has intercepted some 320 of them.

 

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