Army sends reservists home
Hamas begins the new year with a hail of rockets on Israel
January 1, 2024, 6:45 a.m
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Exactly at midnight the sirens sound in Tel Aviv and many places in southern Israel. Hamas fires more than 20 rockets. The Israeli army is now sending some of the reservists called up home. However, this is not a sign of an imminent end to the war – on the contrary.
At the turn of the year, Hamas again fired rockets from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel and Tel Aviv. The attacks began exactly at midnight. The Israeli military confirmed the shelling, but did not provide any information on casualties or damage. As the Times of Israel newspaper reports, the Islamist Hamas fired more than 20 rockets towards Israel from the Gaza Strip. Most were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. According to the rescue service, no injuries were initially reported as a result of the shelling, it said.
Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attacks in a video on social media. The terrorist organization said it used M90 rockets in “response to the massacres of civilians committed by Israel.” Hamas had decided to “start the year 2024 with a hail of rockets on Israel,” it said.
Israel and Hamas have been at war for almost three months. On October 7, hundreds of fighters from the terrorist organization Hamas entered Israel and committed atrocities, mostly against civilians. According to Israeli information, around 1,140 people were killed and around 250 others were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip, of which 129 are still believed to be held by Hamas.
Reservists should “gather strength”
Israel has since bombed tens of thousands of targets in the Gaza Strip and launched a ground offensive. At least 21,822 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority, which cannot currently be independently verified. Much of the Palestinian territory lies in ruins. According to the UN Emergency Relief Office, more than 1.9 million people are now internally displaced, i.e. around 85 percent of the population. Almost all residents rely on food and other assistance.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military is adjusting its troop deployment in anticipation of prolonged fighting and allowing some reservists to temporarily return to civilian life. “The objectives of the war require a longer fight, and we are preparing accordingly,” said Israel’s army spokesman Daniel Hagari. According to the Times of Israel, the military believes it is likely that the Gaza war will continue throughout 2024. Some of the reservists will “return to their families and their jobs” this week. This will ease pressure on Israel’s economy and allow reservists to “gather strength for the activities ahead” in the new year.