On May 12, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas Movement, launched over a hundred rockets from the Gaza Strip at nearby Israeli settlements in response to recent attacks by the Israeli military.
The group announced that it had targeted the Israeli cities of Ashkelon, Netivot and Sderot with 150 rockets. The large-scale rocket strike was a response to recent Israeli strikes, which claimed the lives of six Palestinian commanders and wiped out the al-Shuruq Tower in Gaza.
Video reportedly from #Gaza moments ago as #Hamas Al-Qassm and other factions target multiple cities in #Israel pic.twitter.com/SKPS34fZdd
— Aurora Intel (@AuroraIntel) May 12, 2021
Soon after, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the al-Quds Brigades, announced that it had fired “dozens of rockets” at Ashkelon, Sderot, Dimona and Ashdod as well as at the Israeli capital Tel Aviv.
Video from Gaza shows the rocket barrage a short while ago, and the Iron Dome interceptions pic.twitter.com/d8ce09mjLZ
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 12, 2021
Video of Iron Dome interceptions over Netivot pic.twitter.com/GaE6oNqwX1
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 12, 2021
Video of interceptions over Ashkelon pic.twitter.com/Lu5qjiY8Pl
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 12, 2021
Some of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. However, many others reached their targets inflicting some material losses.
From the rocket impact in Sderot which has injured at least 3 pic.twitter.com/wUw3kDUX7s
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 12, 2021
14 impacts were reported in Ashkelon alone. Seven people were reportedly injured. One of the wounded, a six-year old boy, is reportedly in a critical condition.
Footage from an impact right outside a building in Ashkelon pic.twitter.com/NZuoSELNRd
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 12, 2021
From one of the impacts in Ashkelon
(Video: מצב בטחונני גלובלי) pic.twitter.com/qq5H9nE5cH
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 12, 2021
From one of the impacts in Ashkelon pic.twitter.com/59S78sLEMu
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 12, 2021
Footage of the multiple rocket impacts in Ashkelon a short while ago pic.twitter.com/ISWaw6HKIv
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 12, 2021
Fire in an open area near Ashkelon from a rocket impact pic.twitter.com/N7cjnGBWM8
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 12, 2021
Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel have claimed the lives of five civilians, so far. An Israeli soldier was also killed as a result of a missile strike on May 12 morning.
Hamas released footage of the ATGM attack on the Gaza border earlier today that killed 1 soldier and wounded 3 others. pic.twitter.com/Yzv9Fji53t
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 12, 2021
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health revealed that 56 people, including 14 children and five women, were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza.
The ongoing battle, which broke out on May 10, will not likely end soon. Egypt and the US are making efforts to broker a ceasefire. However, the Israeli military is reportedly planning to step up its operations against Palestinian factions.