Hamas Shells Ashdod, First Since January

Latest Developments

Hamas launched rockets at Ashdod on March 25, in the first such attack against the Israeli city from Gaza in 10 weeks. The eight rockets fired from the central Gaza Strip set off sirens in the port city 25 miles to the north, sending Purim revelers to shelters. The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted several rockets, and there was no word of any damage or casualties.

Hamas took credit for the salvo. The Palestinian terrorist group, which has lost swathes of launching ground to five months of Israeli military advances in Gaza, most recently shelled Ashdod on January 14. The latest attack took place as five foreign powers — Britain, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Egypt, and Germany — air-dropped humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, potentially putting their planes in the path of the Hamas rockets.

Expert Analysis

“Preliminary indications are that the rockets were fired from the vicinity of Nusseirat and Deir al-Balah, where the IDF has yet to conduct a full sweep to crush two intact Hamas battalions. This should serve as a reminder — especially as world powers fret about Israel’s promised incursion into the last Hamas bastion of Rafah — that there is no substitute for boots on the ground when it comes to destroying a deeply entrenched terrorist army.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“Hamas and its allies in the Gaza Strip still possess the ability to launch mortars and rockets into Israel. Still, their capabilities have significantly decreased from the early stages of the conflict. Rocket attacks on major Israeli cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have dramatically declined in recent months, primarily due to Israeli efforts to dismantle the networks facilitating these attacks. Israel’s ongoing operations have proven that, given sufficient time, it can effectively dismantle Hamas and its military support infrastructure.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Related Analysis

“IDF Strikes Terrorists in Response to Rocket Fire From Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hamas Rocket Chief Killed in Gaza Strike,” FDD Flash Brief

“Rocket fire by Hamas, Hezbollah targets Israel on two fronts,” by Seth J. Frantzman