5:53pm Shabbat Shalom from the Israel staff.

5:21 Shaar HaNegev….Sedot HaNegev alerts.

5:04pm Multiple rockets shot at Shaar Hanegev.

4:58pm More rockets. ..Shaar HaNegev and Sedot Negev.

4:55pm Rockets shot at Sedot Negev and Shaar HaNegev.

4:28pm Eshkol.

3:40pm Bnei Shimon Region

3:38pm Ein HaShlosha

3:27PM Rocket Alert Beer Sheva, Omer, Bnei Shimon region, Ofakim, Tel Sheba

2:39pm Sirens in Netivot and Bnei Shimon. Iron Dome x2

1:46pm Merchavim

1:22pm Eshkol

1:18pm Red Alert Ashdod, Hevel Yavne x2. Iron Dome take-down

1:10pm Multiple sirens- Eshkol

1:05pm The soldier who was hurt in yesterday evening’s rocket attack has taken a turn for the worse and his condition is now listed as serious.

His name: Mordechai Chai ben Bracha Yehudit.

12:51pm Barrage at Ashkelon…

12:46pm Sedot Negev….Ashkelon. ..Sederot.

12:21pm Mortar hits house in Eshkol region. Family in bomb shelter. No injuries. Family had 15 seconds to get into the bomb shelter.

12:00pm Alerts in Shaar HaNegev

11:37am Asheklon alerts

11:21am Eshkol region

11:00am Color Red alerts: Nahal Oz, Alumim, Sdnot NEgev, Shaar Negev

10:55am Reports of burning hot rocket fragments after Iron Dome intercept hitting cars in Greater Tel Aviv….no injuries reported at this time.

10:52 Red Alert Ben Shemen, Ginaton, Lod, Nir Tzvi, Ashdod…

10:44am Color Red alerts: entire Mediterranean coastline up to Herzliya, Kfar Chabad, including Ashdod, Bnei Braq, Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Ramat HaSharon, Givatayim, Ben Gurion International Airport, Dan Region, Sha’ar HaNegev

10:43am Gush Dan…..here they come!!!!

10:25am Code Red alerts: Kfar Aza, Kibbutz Sa’ad

10:05am Color Red alerts: Nitzan, Nitzanim

9:33am IDF hits rocket launcher that hit Ashdod gas station.

9:11am Iron dome intercepts in Eshkol region.

9:01am Alerts in Ashkelon

8:48am UPDATE A 50 year old man was seriously injured in the Gazan rocket strike on the Ashdod gas station.

8:35am UPDATE Two people were lightly injured, one person was seriously injured in rocket attack on Ashdod gas station.

8:25am UPDATE What we know so far: Multiple injured. 1 seriously.

Ashdod Gas station hit by rocket.
Photo: Rotter.net

8:15am Update: Rocket his Ashdod gas station. Initial report says there may be injured.

Ashdod Gas station hit by rocket.
Photo: Rotter.net

8:06am Gadera, Ashkelon

8:01am Red alert Netivot, Ashdod, Lachish, Rishon L’Tzion.

7:44am Barrage at Hullit

7:35am Red Alert Eshkol

IDF artillery attacks Lebanon position that launched on Israel.

6:49am Merchavim – Iron Dome x2. Shaar HaNegev

6:33am Sirens in Netivot area

6:31am Sderot, Otef Aza

6:29am Channels 2 and 10 reporting a rocket attack on Metulla on Israel’s northern border from Lebanon…

Rocket hit a Metulla street.
Photo by Smiley Hafuch / Rotter.net

At 3:30am….there was a rocket attack in the Haifa area….2 Iron Dome intercepts. ..
3:30 Red Alert: Haifa, Hadera, Carmel, Menashe

Woman collapsed and died while running to bomb shelter in Haifa.

2:01am Color Red alert: Sdot Negev Regional Council

1:35am Color Red alert: all Gaza Belt communities (Eshkol, Sha’ar HaNegev, Sdot Negev)

Question: At an estimated $70,000 per Iron Dome launch, if the Iron Dome system determines that a Hamas rocket launched from Gaza is about to hit PA civilians in Palestinian Authority controlled Ramallah, does Israel have a moral obligation to shoot the rocket down?

What do you think?

Lebanon’s Daily Star reports that Lebanese terrorists planned to launch 6 rockets into Israel, but only one of them managed to land in Israel.

Lebanese Army Intelligence and UNIFIL soldiers found traces of 6 rockets 2 kilometers from the border with Israel.

Of the four launched at Israel, two apparently landed short, in Lebanon, while one exploded at launch, injuring the terrorist trying to launch it. Blood and a ripped shoe were found at the site.

The Lebanese Army defused the remaining two 107mm Grad rockets that were set to go off.

Lebanon’s Daily Star reports that Israel fired 25 artillery shells in response, causing no casualties.

UNIFIL is also looking into the incident.

Israel believes the attack came from an independent terror group, and not Hezbollah.

This is disturbing. Necessary. But disturbing.

1:24am (Friday) Code Red alert: Ashkelon, Ashkelon Coastal Region

—————-

140 rockets and missiles struck Israel in the past 24 hours, 44 intercepted by Iron Dome, IDF struck some 222 targets across the Gaza region according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. Among these were several Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists involved in rocket attacks against Israel.

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10:39pm Prayer request: Please stop for a second and say a prayer for Mordechai Chai ben Bracha Yehudit….wounded tonight in Gaza rocket attack. …going into surgery now.

—————–

10:28pm Color Red alerts:  Sdot Negev and Shar Hanegev

10:23pm Color Red alert: Kfar Aza, Kibbutz Sa’ad, Sdot Negev, Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Councils

9:55pm Color Red alert: Sdot Negev, Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Councils

9:34pm Color Red alert: Sdot Negev, Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Councils

9:32 pm Color Red alert: Nahal Oz, Alumim, Ashkelon Coastal Region

9:17pm Color Red alert: Ashdod

9:15 pm Color Red alert: Ashdod x2,

9:14 pm Color Red alert: Ashkelon x2

9:14 Color Red alert: Givati, NIr Galim, Nitzanim

8:57 Color Red alert: Nir Galim,Yavneh, Ashdod

8:51pm Color Red alerts: Ashdod, Gan Yavne, Beer Tuvia, Brenner, Gaderot, Hevel Yavne, Hof Ashkelon

8:35 pm Color Red alerts: Gan Yavne, Kiryat Malachi, Beer Tuvia, Gederot, Yoav, Shafir

7:45 Color Red alerts: going off in Bat Yam, Rehovot, Lod

7:44 Siren: Color Red alerts: Rishon Lezion, Gedera, Ness Ziona

7:41 Color Red alerts: Eshkol Regional Council

Soldiers injured

7:40 Color Red alerts: Sdot Negev, Merchavim, Bnei Shimon Regional Council, Lehavim, and Shar Hanegev

7:32 Color Red alerts: Merchavim, and Beer Sheva

7:29 Color Red alerts: Mitzpe Ramon

7:27 Color Red alerts: Be’er Sheva

7:26 Color Red alerts: Lehavim, Bnei Shimon Regional Council and Omer

7:11 Color Red alerts: Sha’ar Hanegev

6:56pm Color Red alerts: Eshkol, Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Councils

6:53 Color Red alerts: Ashkelon Coastal Region

5:56: Color Red alerts: Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Gush Etzion, Beitar Ilit, Beit El, Mevasseret Tzion, Maaleh Adumim, Har Hevron, Matte Binyamin, Matte Yehuda.

Four Rockets fired at Jerusalem from Gaza: two intercepted by Iron Dome…two landed in open areas.

Loud booms.

5:54 Color Red alert: Eshkol Regional Council

5:54 Color Red alert: Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council

4:58 Color Red alerts: Sderot, Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council

4:55 IDF takes out two members of a rocket crew

4:56 Color Red alerts: Eshkol, Ashkelon Coastal Region

4:48 Color Red alert: Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council

4:46 Color Red alert: Ashkelon

4:40 Color Red alerts: Sderot and Sha’ar HaNegev

4:34pm Color Red alerts:Sdot Negev and Sha’ar HaNegev

4:29pm Color Red alert: Ashkelon Coastal Region

4:26pm Color Red alerts: Sdot Negev and Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Councils

4:22pm Color Red alerts: Sdot Negev and Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Councils

4:18pm Color Red alerts: Sdot Negev, Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Councils

4:06pm Color Red alerts: Eshkol Regional Council, Ashkelon

4:07pm Color Red alerts: Ashkelon region

4:05pm Color Red alerts: Eshkol and Sdot Negev Regional Councils

4:01pm Color Red alerts: Be’er Sheva

3:47pm Color Red alert: Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council

3:47 Color Red Sderot

3:35 Color Red Askelon

3:12 Color Red in Eshkol region, Shar Hanegev

3:07 Red Alert Eshkol

2:35 Big barrage: Ashdod, Ashkelon, Nitzanim, Beer Tuvia, Hevel Yavneh regions and Hof Ashkelon region.

2:25 Kibbutz Beeri Area (Eshkol)

2:14 pm Red Alert Beer-Sheva

1:53 Eshkol

1:39 Red Alert Be’er Sheva x2 3 Iron Dome intercepts.
Also Gilat, Yifrach.

1:04 Rockets toward southern Gush Dan (Yavneh, Rechovot, Soreq, Lod, Ramle, Hevel Modiin – not Modiin)

12:59pm Red Alert: Ashkelon, Zikim, Karmiya, Yad Mordechai, Netiv Ha’Asara

12:44pm Code Red Sdot Negev, Shaar Negev, Kibbutz Aza and Saad

Noon – Red Alert: Ofakim, Merchavim region

11:35 Eshkol

11:24 Sirens in Tel Aviv-Yafo. 1 intercepted. 1 hit.

11:19 Sderot, Shaar HaNegev

10:54am Sirens in Bnei Shimon region….extended Beer Sheva region but not necessarily Beer Sheva the city. ..

10:52am Bnei Shimon

10:38am Color Red: Yad Morchai Netiv Ha’Asara Color, Hof Ashkelon, Eshkol

10:20 Nachal Oz

10:18 Sdot Hanegev, Shaar Hanegev

10:03am Sirens in Mitzpe Ramon (there already is a crater there), Dimona, Yerucham

9:43am Eshkol Region

9:26 am Netivot, Bnei Shimon, Sdot Negev region

8:59am Sirens in Netivot and Shaar HaNegev.

7:59am SIRENS ONGOING IN TEL AVIV….Gush Dan….and the Southern Sharon region.

7:56am Sirens in Tel Aviv…… Iron Dome x3.

7:47am Color red alerts in Shaar HaNegev and Hof Ashkrlon regions

7:27am Sirens in Ofakim

7:26am Color Red Alerts Hof Ashkelon

7:12am Red Alert Shaar Hanegev.

7:00am Note to Hamas. Time for davening (prayers), please hold off shooting until I finish, so I don’t miss a single update. As it was, it was extremely rude to shoot at us overnight while we were trying to sleep.

6:15am Good morning, we’ll start with an overnight roundup of rocket attacks, and continue on from there. Keep safe.

Day 3 of Operation Protective Edge (looks like they’ll need to rename that to Protective Center, and Protective North)

The IDF has hit 590 terror targets since the beginning of the operation, and that appears to be the tip of the iceberg.
Gaza has launched 390 rockets at Israel.

6:15am Red alerts Shaar HaNegev

2:36am Red alert Eshkol

1:19am Large barrage of rockets at Israel’s Negev. Iron Dome interceptions some, the rest fall in open areas.

1:17am Sirens in Merchavim region.

1:16am Red Alerts in Ashkelon.

As ground forces of the IDF prepare to enter Gaza, Israel’s Air Force, Navy and Security Agency (Shin Bet) intelligence agents continue to operate on other fronts.

Israeli civilians are taking a deep breath and continuing to carry on their daily affairs as much as humanly possible given the situation and the missiles being fired at their families and homes.

Gaza terrorist groups are competing to see who can launch the missile at Israel that flies the farthest, fastest. All are deeply frustrated by their failure to score a significant “hit,” according to military analysts.

Hamas has made a number of attempts to strike the Dimona nuclear reactor. Each time, the group’s newest acquisition, the Syrian-made M302 missile, has failed to deliver — instead, it was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.

The M302 as a range of 160 kilometers (100 miles) and carries a warhead weighing approximately 144 kilograms (318 pounds.) From Gaza, it can reach as far as Nahariya, north of Haifa, but it is not clear whether that is with or without explosives in the warhead.

Late Thursday Hamas claimed that it deployed another new missile in its arsenal: the Iranian-made Sajl — or “Sejjil” (‘baked clay’ in Persian) rocket. The group said that so far it has launched 10 of these longer-range missiles — but the claim makes no sense.

It may instead be part of the signature disinformation campaign that marks the intermediate part of a Hamas military campaign — that which includes boasting, threats, the use of human shields, misinformation and wild exaggerations.

The true “medium range” Iranian Sejjil-2 is a ballistic missile that weighs 21.5 tons and measures 18.2 meters in length, with a diameter of 1.25 – 1.50 meters. It is propelled by solid fuel and has an operational range of 2,000 kilometers, and allegedly is harder to detect by anti-missile systems, as it is covered with anti-radar material. The missile is also more efficient as it requires less amount of time for prelaunch preparations, according to a 2009 statement by Iran’s Press TV.

It is odd to think of Iran gifting such a powerful, valuable weapon to Hamas, when the entire length of the State of Israel is only 260 miles, or 418 kilometers. But if Hamas were to fire such a weapon, one has to wonder where it would land; probably not anywhere in the Jewish State. With a range of 2,000 kilometers, one wrong launch could land Hamas in very hot water with its patrons, and Israel’s hostile northern neighbors.

Meanwhile, here is a quick guide to the rest of the arsenal currently being held by Hamas and its allies in Gaza, courtesy of the IDF:

Hamas Short range (15-20 km) Over 1,000 units of self-produced rockets (15 km) Over 2,500 units of smuggled rockets (15 km) Approx. 200 units of self-produced Grad rockets (20 km) Approx. 200 units of smuggled Grad rockets (20 km) Medium range (up to 45 km) Approx. 200 units of self-produced improved Grad rockets (45 km) Approx. 1,000 units of smuggled improved Grad rockets (45 km) Medium-Long range (up to 80 km) Over 400 units of self-produced medium range rockets Several dozen of rockets (80 km) Long range (100-200 km) Tens of long-range rockets (100-200 km) In Total: Approximately 6,000 rockets

Palestinian Islamic Jihad Short range (15-20 km) Approx. 1,000 units of self-produced rockets (15 km) Approx. 1,000 units of smuggled rockets (15 km) Approx. 300 units of self-produced Grad rockets (20 km) Approx. 100 units of smuggled Grad rockets (20 km) Medium range (up to 45 km) Approx. 200 units of self-produced improved Grad rockets (45 km) Approx. 600 units of smuggled improved Grad rockets (45 km) Medium-Long range (up to 80 km) Over 100 units of self-produced medium range rockets Several medium-long range rockets (80 km) In Total: Approximately 5,500 rockets

Other Terror Organizations Short range (15-20 km) Hundreds of self-produced and smuggled rockets including Grad rockets (15 km) Medium range (up to 45 km) Dozens of self-produced and smuggled improved Grad rockets (45 km)

Hamas terrorists launched a blanket of missile fire at central and southern Israel Thursday evening in an effort to penetrate the protective shield provided by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.

The IDF meantime warned Gaza residents living near the border that it was in their best interest to evacuate the area. Operation Protective Edge is about to heat up.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spent the day on the phone with world leaders, warning that this time Israel would not end its operation until Hamas stops firing rockets at Israeli civilians. The prime minister said at a security cabinet meeting Thursday afternoon that Israel would ramp up Operation Protective Shield by nightfall.

IDF Southern Commander Sami Turgeman told journalists at a news conference Thursday the IDF would “intensify the action.” The enemy has more rockets and more of them, Turgeman explained. “More of the terrorist structure will be hit. We are preparing all the capabilities, and will utilize them as they are needed….The results Hamas finds when it comes out of hiding will surprise it.”

Meanwhile, barrages of domestic produced M75s and Syrian-made M302s were fired at the metro Jerusalem area. One landing near a Bedouin community on the outskirts of the northern Jerusalem suburb of Ma’ale Adumim.

Another barrage was aimed at the Dan region, including the cities of Bat Yam, Holon and Rishon LeZion. The Iron Dome system intercepted at least one missile fired in that direction.

Color Red rocket alert sirens wailed through the southern Hebron Hills — including the communities of Kiryat Arba, Pnei Hever, Carmel, Maon, Avigail, Susya, Yatir, Otniel, Shani, and Machane Yatir.

Missiles went flying towards the Negev cities of Be’er Sheva, Mitzpe Ramon, Dimona, Yerucham and for the first time, Arad residents headed to the shelters as well.

The Iron Dome anti-missile system activated to intercept at least one missile heading for Dimona, sources said.

The Hamas terrorist organization claimed in a statement that it had fired 10 new Iranian-made Sajl missiles in Thursday’s attacks on Israel.

The Color Red rocket alert siren activated as far east as the Ein Bokek and Tamar Regional Council district, which includes the hotel strip at the southern end of the Dead Sea, several moshavim and kibbutzim near the Jordanian border, Masada, and Kibbutz Ein Gedi.

One missile struck a home in Be’er Sheva, but the residents were safely waiting out the attack in their fortified shelter within the house and were not harmed. Another missile landed near a sports center in the city; several people were injured in that attack, according to a report broadcast on Channel 2.

A house was also hit in the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council district. In Sderot, one rocket landed between two parked cars. Another struck a home in the city, which is located barely a mile from the Gaza border.

Nine rockets were fired simultaneously at targets in the Eshkol Regional Council district, close to the southern border. No one was injured in that attack.

Altogether, more than 20 missiles were fired simultaneously in the evening barrage at targets around the country.

In a separate attack, a group of 10 cows were killed and many others were hurt after a missile struck a cowshed in a moshav near Ashdod.