General Information

On the morning of May 6, 2019 the eighth round of escalation, which had lasted for two days, came to an end. It began following Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) sniper fire targeting IDF soldiers. The IDF responded by attacking Hamas targets, killing two operatives of its military-terrorist wing. The following day a massive barrage of rockets and mortar shells began, which gradually expanded to cities up to 40 kilometers from the Gaza Strip, including Ashqelon, Ashdod, Qiryat Gat, Qiryat Malachi and Beersheba. Read more...

On May 4, 2019, another round of escalation from the Gaza Strip began, the eighth since the return marches began on March 30, 2018. It has not yet ended. It began when Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) snipers attacked IDF soldiers under the cover of the return march on May 3, 2019. The IDF responded by attacking two Hamas targets, killing two of its terrorist operatives. The following day a massive barrage of rocket and mortar fire began attacking the Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip, and it expanded to attack Israeli civilian targets at a range of more than 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Gaza Strip. The attack included the southern Israeli cities of Ashqelon, Ashdod, Qiryat Gat, Qiryat Malachi and Beersheba. Read more...