Tel Aviv residents began their morning on Thursday with the wail of the Color Red incoming rocket alert siren followed by the boom of the Iron Dome anti-missile system smashing a missilesheading straight for the city.

Large pieces of shrapnel landed in the streets of a neighborhood in southern Tel Aviv. Miraculously, no physical injuries were reported. Falling shrapnel can be extremely dangerous; residents were cautioned to remain in their shelters and safe spaces until given the “all clear” by security officials or Home Front Command — or until 10 minutes of silence has passed.

Barely two hours later, at 11:25 a.m. they were doing it again, with sirens sending hundreds of thousands of residents in Tel Aviv and Yafo (Jaffa) scrambling for cover.

Two missiles were fired at the White City but both landed in open areas in the greater metropolitan area. No physical injuries were reported. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other top officials were in the city consulting on the security situation at the time and they, too, headed straight for the shelter the second the Color Red siren was activated.

Gaza terrorists also fired M75 missile attacks at the eastern Negev cities of Dimona, Yerucham and Mitzpe Ramon, as Hamas searches desperately for a “quality” strike on a significant target. Dimona presents such a possibility; the city is home to Israel’s nuclear plant. At least one missile landed in an open area on the outskirts of the city; no physical injuries were reported. Hamas fired a barrage of three missiles at Dimona on Wednesday night as well. One of the missiles was shot down by the Iron Dome system, and two others landed in open areas, causing no physical injuries or damage.

In general, it’s been a busy morning as the Iron Dome system and its operators pick and choose which rockets and missiles must be eliminated from the skies.

A short-range rocket was shot down as it headed for the western Negev city of Netivot at around 10 am. Two other rockets landed in open areas, but not entirely without cost: the explosion ignited a fire, which required firefighters to risk their lives in coming out to extinguish the blaze as other rockets were exploding. Gaza terrorists fired a barrage of rockets and missiles towards the Negev that reached as far as 84 kilometers (52 miles) from Israel’s border with the region. Meanwhile, the IDF targeted a Hamas terrorist in northern Gaza has he was firing rockets at Israel. A direct hit was confirmed. Several hours earlier, the IDF also eliminated three Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in northern Gaza who were manufacturing medium-range missiles. Out of the PIJ’s approximate arsenal of some 5,500 rockets and missiles, more than 100 have an 80+ kilometer(50 mile) range.

As Israel enters its 3rd day of the war with Gaza, it once again becomes apparent that Iron Dome is the problem.

While I’m sure the IDF’s secular ethical committee that came up with the concept of “Taharat HaNeshek” (Purity of Arms) had good intentions, but the end result is what we see now – an IDF shackled by lawyers and a confused morality that not only prevents us from decisively winning any wars, put actually lengthens our wars, increases the dangers to our own citizens and soldiers, and gives the enemy plenty of time to develop their ability to attack us.

In the videos below, we see how easily Hamas has learned how to exploit the IDF’s self-imposed weak spot.

When Gazan terrorists want to try to avoid being killed (always) they merely grab a child, ask civilians to go into a building, launch a rocket from a children’s playground…. And the IDF will do nothing (unless sometimes, when the attack is absolutely imminent).

Hamas openly calls for civilians to do this, and in many cases, it is completely voluntary on the civilian’s part, as they see themselves as doing this as their part of the war against the “Zionists”.

One of Hamas’s military command center is in a bunker underneath Shifa hospital (ironically, built by Israel for the safety of the Gazan population). This isn’t a secret. But the IDF isn’t about to attack a hospital, even if that would end the war, or significantly hamper Hamas’s ability to attack Israel.

By the way, all you need to do is watch the video of Gazan civilians cheering, to know that many happily give Hamas their support against Israel.

So to deal with the self-imposed problem created by “Taharat HaNeshek”, Israel invented the Iron Dome, which allows the government to become complacent about actually winning.

“It’s OK, we have time now,” is the thinking.

Israel can absorb the inconvenience.

Sure rockets are flying at us, but most rockets don’t get through, certainly not to Tel Aviv, and that reduces the IDF’s and the government’s urgency to go out and actually win fast and win decisively.

So between the IDF’s self-imposed doctrine of avoiding civilian collateral damage at all costs, and the lack of urgency to win, we are left with rockets flying over our heads for days, weeks, months, and even years on end, when the reality is that key strikes, as ugly as they may be in the short term, would end this war and these attacks for a long time.

As unpopular as this might sound, nothing would be better for Israel than if Iron Dome would actually stop working, as then the IDF, and more importantly, the Israeli government, would be forced to think about these attacks on us from a healthier perspective.

Iron Dome isn’t the solution, its a symptom of the problem.

Gaza terrorists fired three M75 missiles at the eastern Negev city of Dimona on Wednesday night, but no one was injured.

Two of the missiles landed in open areas, causing no damage. The third was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, indicating it was headed for a populated area.

The Hamas terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the attack, stating it had attempted to strike at Israel’s nuclear reactor, which is located just outside the city.

The group also launched attacks on the coastal cities of Rehovot, Yavneh and Ness Tziona. As in Dimona, Iron Dome anti-missile batteries intercepted each missile. Residents of the areas were also warned by the Color Red incoming rocket alert system prior to the attacks, which allowed them time to race to shelters in safety.

Metropolitan Tel Aviv absorbed at least five missiles in the first half of Wednesday, with the Color Red incoming rocket alert siren wailing through the streets.

Loud blasts that followed made it clear the Iron Dome anti-missile system had intercepted all five threats to the general population.

But as a Home Front Command official noted with a measure of exasperation in an interview on Israeli radio Wednesday morning, people in the “White City” simple weren’t relating to the danger and remained on the streets.

Defense officials were out during one attack inspecting facilities, and were amazed and concerned at what they saw on Tuesday.

Amid ongoing rocket fire onto central Israel, people in Tel Aviv watched the World Cup Semi Final games screened at the Sarona center, shortly after Code Red sirens were sounded in the region.

“Some just don’t seem to care, some said they didn’t have shelters in their homes, some said the public shelters were locked and others said there were no shelters at all in their neighborhoods,” the official said.

“This is an impossible situation and one that must stop immediately. It is extremely dangerous.”

Missiles that were intercepted at midday exploded above Tel Aviv itself, and above Ben Gurion International Airport, which is on alert.

Late Tuesday night, Hamas terrorists fired the new Syrian-made M302 missile towards Haifa – but it only reached as far as Hadera, 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Gaza. The missile, which weighs 120 kilograms, has an approximate range of 100 kilometers (62 – 65 miles.)

The Iron Dome anti-missile system has thus far intercepted 45 missiles at a cost of $50,000 per interceptor.

The Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted two Grad Katyusha missiles Tuesday afternoon over the Negev city of Be’er Sheva.

Residents in the area were warned at 14:33 they had about 60 seconds to race for shelter; shortly after, they heard a large “boom!” as two missiles were blown to bits in the air.

Falling shrapnel did not hurt anyone as the entire population had obeyed the instructions of Home Front Command and entered their safe spaces immediately when they heard the Color Red incoming rocket alert siren.

Dozens of rockets and mortars were launched at Israel over Shabbat as Hamas terrorists laugh at PM Netanyahu’s unfulfilled ultimatum.

Most of the rockets landed in the Eshkol region and Ofakim, but two reached as far as Be’er Sheva.

One of the rockets targeting Be’er Sheva was taken down by the Iron Dome system, the other fell in an open area.

A soldier was lightly injured by a mortar that landed in the Eshkol region.

The IAF struck some terror targets and missile launch sites, but these attacks have been ineffectual in convincing Gaza to stop the wave of rockets on Israel.

PM Netanyahu consulted with his security services on Saturday night, though it’s not clear why, since he already issued an ultimatum that has been blatantly dismissed by the enemy, and that he hasn’t followed through with.

Be’er Sheva hasn’t been targeted (or more accurately, reached) by Gazan missile, since 2012.

By not responding decisively and forcefully to the Gazan rockets, Israel is projecting weakness to Hamas, and further emboldening them, hence the increased rocket launches and attempts to hit cities even further away.

The city of Ashdod has cancelled school tomorrow for all educational centers without sufficient bomb shelters.

Video of Gazan rocket launched at Ashkelon:

On Friday, June 27, an IAF aircraft targeted O​sama Ha​s​sumi and Mohammad Fatzih​, terror operative​s ​in the northern Gaza Strip.

Osama Hass​umi and Mohammad Fatzih were involved in the rockets launched at Israel last week. Hassumi and Fatzih were also involved in several terror attacks against Israel over the past few years and were planning further attacks against Israel and its civilians.

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner: “​Militants like Hassumi and Fatzih, attacking Israel from Gaza, are not safe, do not have immunity, and will not be free to plan, plot and operate. We will continue to strike the instigators and agitators with patience, determination and precision. Gaza rocket terrorism does not pay”.

For more than a week, Gaza terrorists have continued to fire rockets at Israel. The attacks are increasing the rocket threat against southern communities, forcing the IDF to act in defense of innocent civilians. Following each rocket strike, the Israel Air Force has responded by targeting the activity of terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, terrorists in the area have fired more than 8,000 rockets into Israel. Over 3.5 million Israelis are currently living under threat of rocket attacks.
Although Israel’s Iron Dome Missile Defense system stops some of the attacks, most rockets are capable of reaching Israel’s biggest southern cities. More than half a million Israelis have less than 60 seconds to find shelter after a rocket is launched from Gaza into Israel.

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