Photo Credit: Atia Mohammed / Flash 90
Rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel, in Gaza City on May 3, 2023.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists (PIJ) in Gaza resumed their attacks on Israeli civilians on Wednesday evening without missing a beat, and continued on into the night.

According to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, at least 400 rockets have been fired at Israel since Tuesday, the start of Operation Shield and Arrow, but at least 25 percent of those rockets landed in Gaza, not in Israel. “Some were intercepted and unfortunately, some houses were hit,” Gallant said during a televised joint statement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday night.

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In Ashkelon, two houses were hit by rockets, along with a parked car, at around 9 pm. No injuries were reported. Police called on the public to “stay near protected areas, obey the instructions of the police and Home Front Command and avoid coming to the scenes of the impacts.”

In Sderot, a direct hit was reported as well. One person was slightly injured in the attack, according to Ynet. In addition, a rocket landed near two other homes, both of which were damaged by the impact, police said.

The barrage aimed at Sderot:

Multiple heavy barrages of rocket fire were aimed not only at Sderot and communities in the Gaza Envelope, but also as far east as Be’er Sheva and Netivot, and as far north as Rishon Lezion, Tel Aviv and surrounds, and the Shefela region.

Miraculously, no one was physically hurt in the massive barrages, with the exception of one man in Be’er Sheva who was injured while heading to a shelter. One rocket landed in a park in Be’er Sheva.

Rocket Impact in Be’er Sheva:

Earlier in the evening, at least one rocket landed on a house in the town of Netivot, located of the tomb of the saintly Moroccan Kabbalist Baba Sali, but no one was injured in the strike. The home is located next to a yeshiva in the town, and rocket fire also reportedly damaged the yeshiva’s dining room, but no one was physically injured.

The rocket that landed in a home in Netivot:

The rocket that landed on the roof in Netivot:

Following the impact in Netivot, medics discovered a 40-year-old Israeli man in the home but he was in his bomb shelter and unharmed. The man told the medics that he entered his shelter when the sirens began and then heard an explosion; when he opened the door, he said, he was “shocked to see a rocket in his living room.”

In Be’er Sheva, a 55-year-old man sustained a minor leg injury while racing for a bomb shelter, according to Magen David Adom. Two people in Ashkelon and Be’er Sheva also were treated for shock and anxiety.

The attacks came after Israeli officials confirmed that ceasefire talks brokered by Egypt were underway.

The IDF issued a brief statement saying that fighter pilots were once again attack terrorist targets across the Gaza enclave.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to IDF headquarters at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, where he was joined at the security assessment by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi and the Prime Minister’s Military Secretary, Maj.-Gen. Avi Gil.

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Hana Levi Julian
Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.