Gaza rulers Hamas arrested two people over firing rockets at Israel last week, a security source in the Palestinian enclave told AFP.

Israel's army said rockets were launched Thursday from Gaza, the first such military action since three days of cross-border fighting in August.

The incident prompted Hamas's internal security services to detain two people "directly related to the firing of four rockets", said a security source who requested anonymity.

"The Palestinian factions have nothing to do with these rockets, which are aimed at giving the occupation (Israel) an excuse for continuing the aggression," the source told AFP.

The rocket fire was not claimed by any of the armed factions operating in Gaza, which has been ruled by the militant group Hamas since 2007.

It came hours after veteran Israeli hawk Benjamin Netanyahu was declared the winner of November 1 elections, and after an Islamic Jihad fighter was killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cop27-un-climate-change-panel-ready-to-limit-global-warming-compensation-for-developing-nations-on-agenda-531681" hreflang="en">COP27: UN climate change panel ready to 'limit global warming'</a>

The conflict in August erupted when Israel fired on Islamic Jihad sites in Gaza.

The security source did not detail the affiliation of those arrested, adding that the rockets fired were not loaded with explosives.

Palestinian factions have an agreement to coordinate "any response to Israeli aggression", he told AFP.

Israel launched retaliatory strikes Friday on Gaza, which the army said hit a rocket production site belonging to Hamas.

Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been under a crippling Israeli-led blockade imposed since Hamas took power.

The Israeli military and Gaza militants have fought four wars over the past 15 years.

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Gaza rulers Hamas arrested two people over firing rockets at Israel last week, a security source in the Palestinian enclave told AFP. Israel's army said rockets were launched Thursday from Gaza, the first such military action since three days of cross-border fighting in August.

Gaza rulers Hamas arrested two people over firing rockets at Israel last week, a security source in the Palestinian enclave told AFP. Israel's army said rockets were launched Thursday from Gaza, the first such military action since three days of cross-border fighting in August. The incident prompted Hamas's internal security services to detain two people "directly related to the firing of four rockets", said a security source who requested anonymity. "The Palestinian factions have nothing to do with these rockets, which are aimed at giving the occupation (Israel) an excuse for continuing the aggression," the source told AFP. The rocket fire was not claimed by any of the armed factions operating in Gaza, which has been ruled by the militant group Hamas since 2007. It came hours after veteran Israeli hawk Benjamin Netanyahu was declared the winner of November 1 elections, and after an Islamic Jihad fighter was killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. Also read | COP27: UN climate change panel ready to 'limit global warming' The conflict in August erupted when Israel fired on Islamic Jihad sites in Gaza. The security source did not detail the affiliation of those arrested, adding that the rockets fired were not loaded with explosives. Palestinian factions have an agreement to coordinate "any response to Israeli aggression", he told AFP. Israel launched retaliatory strikes Friday on Gaza, which the army said hit a rocket production site belonging to Hamas. Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been under a crippling Israeli-led blockade imposed since Hamas took power. The Israeli military and Gaza militants have fought four wars over the past 15 years.

Hamas makes arrests over Gaza rockets, says security source

They smuggle the parts or make their own, aided with know-how from Iran. They repurpose plumbing pipes scavenged from abandoned Israeli settlements and components culled from dud Israeli bombs. They assemble the rockets underground or in dense neighbourhoods that the Israelis are reluctant to strike.

Despite Israel’s vaunted surveillance capability and overwhelming military firepower next door, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have managed to amass a large arsenal of rockets with an enhanced range in the 16 years since Israel vacated the coastal enclave it had occupied after the 1967 war.

Hamas, the militant group that has run Gaza since 2007 and does not recognize Israel’s right to exist, has parlayed the arsenal into an increasingly lethal threat, as seen in the most recent upsurge of hostilities with the Israeli military. By Thursday, Israeli officials said, the militants had fired about 1,800 rockets.

The arsenal pales in comparison to the vast destructive powers of Israel’s air force. But to Israelis, the rockets are the tools of what their country and many others including the United States regard as a terrorist organization, embedded among the nearly 2 million Palestinian inhabitants of Gaza.

To many Palestinians, the rockets symbolize their rightful resistance to Israeli dominance and occupation.

How many rockets have been amassed by Hamas and its allies?

Israeli intelligence has estimated that Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian militant groups have about 30,000 rockets and mortar projectiles stashed in Gaza. The rockets are of widely varying ranges and lack guidance systems, but the militants have been able to improve their accuracy.

What is new about the latest volleys launched from Gaza?

The number of rockets fired each day in the most recent spate of hostilities is unprecedented. And while the majority of the rockets appear to be aimed at population centres across southern and central Israel, longer-range rockets were launched at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. This is a sign, experts say, that Hamas has not only managed to replenish its arsenal but has improved its capabilities.

Some Israeli commanders have expressed surprise at both the intensity and range of the Gaza rockets.

An analysis by Michael Armstrong, an associate professor of operations research at Brock University in Canada, found a significant increase in the rate of fire. Using numbers from the Israel Defense Forces, Armstrong, who studies these weapons, cited 470 rockets fired from Gaza during the first 24 hours of the most recent escalation compared to a peak of 192 rockets per day in 2014 and 312 in 2012.

Hamas, he says, also launched more long-range attacks with 130 rockets fired at Tel Aviv late Tuesday, representing close to 17% of all fired until that point. In 2014, that rate was at 8% and in 2012 at less than 1%.

“We still don’t know if Hamas has more long-range rockets, or if they are choosing to use their best stuff first,” Armstrong said.

Why can’t Israel’s military destroy all the rockets in flight?

Israel has successfully thwarted many of the rockets fired with its Iron Dome antimissile defence system, destroying them before they land. But an increasing number of rockets have slammed into Israeli territory, some with deadly effect. Experts say the militants now know that the intensity of the barrages — and the multiple directions from which they launch — have exposed vulnerabilities in the Israeli defence.

“It seems they’re looking to overload or saturate Israel’s interceptive system, which can only handle a certain number of attacks at once,” Armstrong said.

What are the ranges of these rockets?

A sizable portion of the arsenal is believed to be short-range rockets, known as Qassams, named after the Hamas military wing, which has a range of roughly 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) and is more easily and cheaply produced than longer-range weapons. They have unpredictable trajectories and some land inside Gaza.

The arsenal’s medium-range rockets, based on Iranian and Russian design, can reach targets up to 25 miles, making Israeli targets as far as the Tel Aviv suburbs vulnerable. Versions of these weapons are believed to be produced inside Gaza.

The longest-range rockets can travel much farther and can hit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ben-Gurion Airport. They include the M-75, a locally made rocket with technology supplied by Iran, and the J-80, a locally made rocket named after a famous Hamas military commander, Ahmed al-Jabari, killed by an Israeli airstrike in 2012. The numbers refer to their estimated ranges in kilometres.

On Thursday, Hamas claimed in a statement that it has a missile with a range of 250 kilometres (about 155 miles) that can hit anywhere in Israel.

How have Gaza militants preserved or even grown their arsenal?

In the past, medium- and longer-range rockets were typically smuggled through tunnels along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, and in some cases smuggled in parts, then assembled in Gaza. But in recent years, with Egypt making a more concerted effort to block and destroy the tunnels, smuggling whole rockets has become far more problematic. So Hamas and its affiliates in Gaza have developed their production skills.

Michael Herzog, an Israel-based international fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a retired brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces, said Israeli military and intelligence officials are now far more concerned about the abilities of the militants to produce rockets they once had to import.

“The focus of IDF targeting now is on the production facilities so that when this round of fighting ends, there will not only be fewer rockets but also fewer production capabilities for making them,” Herzog said.

Who has helped Hamas and its allies achieve this capability?

The Gaza militants have openly attributed their success to help supplied by Iran, which Israel regards as its most potent foreign adversary. Iranian officials, too, are not shy about their relationship with Hamas.

Speaking to a large gathering in May 2019, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, could not have been more explicit in acknowledging Iran’s critical role in assisting Hamas.

“If it wasn’t for Iran’s support,” he said, “we would not have had these capabilities.”

Along with providing smuggled weapons and equipment, Iran has been focused on training to help Hamas upgrade local production, extend the range of rockets and improve their accuracy, according to both Palestinian and Israeli officials and experts.

“It is a huge improvement going from firing one or two rockets at a time to launching 130 rockets in five minutes,” said Rami Abu Zubaydah, a Gaza-based military expert, referring to the frequency of fire seen in the past few days.

“Most weapons are now manufactured in Gaza, using technical expertise from Iran,” he said.

How else have Gaza’s rocket makers skirted the blockade?

While still having to rely on smuggling parts and raw materials, Hamas leaders say the group has engineered creative workarounds to overcome tighter border controls and surveillance.

A 50-minute documentary broadcast by the Qatari-owned television channel Al-Jazeera in September showed rare scenes of Hamas militants recovering dozens of Israeli missiles that had not detonated in previous strikes on Gaza.

They brought the remnants into what looked like a hidden manufacturing facility, carefully extracted the explosives packed inside and recycled some of the parts. The same documentary also showed militants digging up old water pipes from where Israeli settlements used to sit and repurposing the empty cylinders in the production of new rockets.

Referring to the repurposed plumbing pipes, while speaking in another gathering in 2019, Sinwar said, “There is enough there to manufacture rockets for the coming 10 years.”

They smuggle the parts or make their own, aided with know-how from Iran. They repurpose plumbing pipes scavenged from abandoned Israeli settlements and components culled from dud Israeli bombs.

They smuggle the parts or make their own, aided with know-how from Iran. They repurpose plumbing pipes scavenged from abandoned Israeli settlements and components culled from dud Israeli bombs. They assemble the rockets underground or in dense neighbourhoods that the Israelis are reluctant to strike. Despite Israel’s vaunted surveillance capability and overwhelming military firepower next door, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have managed to amass a large arsenal of rockets with an enhanced range in the 16 years since Israel vacated the coastal enclave it had occupied after the 1967 war. Hamas, the militant group that has run Gaza since 2007 and does not recognize Israel’s right to exist, has parlayed the arsenal into an increasingly lethal threat, as seen in the most recent upsurge of hostilities with the Israeli military. By Thursday, Israeli officials said, the militants had fired about 1,800 rockets. The arsenal pales in comparison to the vast destructive powers of Israel’s air force. But to Israelis, the rockets are the tools of what their country and many others including the United States regard as a terrorist organization, embedded among the nearly 2 million Palestinian inhabitants of Gaza. To many Palestinians, the rockets symbolize their rightful resistance to Israeli dominance and occupation. How many rockets have been amassed by Hamas and its allies? Israeli intelligence has estimated that Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian militant groups have about 30,000 rockets and mortar projectiles stashed in Gaza. The rockets are of widely varying ranges and lack guidance systems, but the militants have been able to improve their accuracy. What is new about the latest volleys launched from Gaza? The number of rockets fired each day in the most recent spate of hostilities is unprecedented. And while the majority of the rockets appear to be aimed at population centres across southern and central Israel, longer-range rockets were launched at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. This is a sign, experts say, that Hamas has not only managed to replenish its arsenal but has improved its capabilities. Some Israeli commanders have expressed surprise at both the intensity and range of the Gaza rockets. An analysis by Michael Armstrong, an associate professor of operations research at Brock University in Canada, found a significant increase in the rate of fire. Using numbers from the Israel Defense Forces, Armstrong, who studies these weapons, cited 470 rockets fired from Gaza during the first 24 hours of the most recent escalation compared to a peak of 192 rockets per day in 2014 and 312 in 2012. Hamas, he says, also launched more long-range attacks with 130 rockets fired at Tel Aviv late Tuesday, representing close to 17% of all fired until that point. In 2014, that rate was at 8% and in 2012 at less than 1%. “We still don’t know if Hamas has more long-range rockets, or if they are choosing to use their best stuff first,” Armstrong said. Why can’t Israel’s military destroy all the rockets in flight? Israel has successfully thwarted many of the rockets fired with its Iron Dome antimissile defence system, destroying them before they land. But an increasing number of rockets have slammed into Israeli territory, some with deadly effect. Experts say the militants now know that the intensity of the barrages — and the multiple directions from which they launch — have exposed vulnerabilities in the Israeli defence. “It seems they’re looking to overload or saturate Israel’s interceptive system, which can only handle a certain number of attacks at once,” Armstrong said. What are the ranges of these rockets? A sizable portion of the arsenal is believed to be short-range rockets, known as Qassams, named after the Hamas military wing, which has a range of roughly 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) and is more easily and cheaply produced than longer-range weapons. They have unpredictable trajectories and some land inside Gaza. The arsenal’s medium-range rockets, based on Iranian and Russian design, can reach targets up to 25 miles, making Israeli targets as far as the Tel Aviv suburbs vulnerable. Versions of these weapons are believed to be produced inside Gaza. The longest-range rockets can travel much farther and can hit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ben-Gurion Airport. They include the M-75, a locally made rocket with technology supplied by Iran, and the J-80, a locally made rocket named after a famous Hamas military commander, Ahmed al-Jabari, killed by an Israeli airstrike in 2012. The numbers refer to their estimated ranges in kilometres. On Thursday, Hamas claimed in a statement that it has a missile with a range of 250 kilometres (about 155 miles) that can hit anywhere in Israel. How have Gaza militants preserved or even grown their arsenal? In the past, medium- and longer-range rockets were typically smuggled through tunnels along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, and in some cases smuggled in parts, then assembled in Gaza. But in recent years, with Egypt making a more concerted effort to block and destroy the tunnels, smuggling whole rockets has become far more problematic. So Hamas and its affiliates in Gaza have developed their production skills. Michael Herzog, an Israel-based international fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a retired brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces, said Israeli military and intelligence officials are now far more concerned about the abilities of the militants to produce rockets they once had to import. “The focus of IDF targeting now is on the production facilities so that when this round of fighting ends, there will not only be fewer rockets but also fewer production capabilities for making them,” Herzog said. Who has helped Hamas and its allies achieve this capability? The Gaza militants have openly attributed their success to help supplied by Iran, which Israel regards as its most potent foreign adversary. Iranian officials, too, are not shy about their relationship with Hamas. Speaking to a large gathering in May 2019, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, could not have been more explicit in acknowledging Iran’s critical role in assisting Hamas. “If it wasn’t for Iran’s support,” he said, “we would not have had these capabilities.” Along with providing smuggled weapons and equipment, Iran has been focused on training to help Hamas upgrade local production, extend the range of rockets and improve their accuracy, according to both Palestinian and Israeli officials and experts. “It is a huge improvement going from firing one or two rockets at a time to launching 130 rockets in five minutes,” said Rami Abu Zubaydah, a Gaza-based military expert, referring to the frequency of fire seen in the past few days. “Most weapons are now manufactured in Gaza, using technical expertise from Iran,” he said. How else have Gaza’s rocket makers skirted the blockade? While still having to rely on smuggling parts and raw materials, Hamas leaders say the group has engineered creative workarounds to overcome tighter border controls and surveillance. A 50-minute documentary broadcast by the Qatari-owned television channel Al-Jazeera in September showed rare scenes of Hamas militants recovering dozens of Israeli missiles that had not detonated in previous strikes on Gaza. They brought the remnants into what looked like a hidden manufacturing facility, carefully extracted the explosives packed inside and recycled some of the parts. The same documentary also showed militants digging up old water pipes from where Israeli settlements used to sit and repurposing the empty cylinders in the production of new rockets. Referring to the repurposed plumbing pipes, while speaking in another gathering in 2019, Sinwar said, “There is enough there to manufacture rockets for the coming 10 years.”

Gaza’s rockets: A replenished arsenal that vexes Israel

Israel PM Netanyahu on Thursday said his government is massing troops along the Gaza frontier ahead of a possible ground invasion of the Hamas-ruled territory, as the two bitter enemies plunged closer to all-out war.&nbsp;

"Citizens of Israel, we are dealing with a campaign on two fronts. The first front – Gaza. I said that we would extract a very heavy price from Hamas and the other terrorist organizations. We are doing so and we will continue to do so with great force. The last word has not been saying and this operation will continue as long as necessary to restore the quiet and security to the State of Israel," said Netanyahu.

"The second front – Israel's cities. I repeat what I said earlier today: We give 100% backing to the police, to the soldiers of the Border Police and to other security forces to restore law and order to Israel's cities. We will not tolerate anarchy," he added.

"We back the police in using all means with full powers, including in conjunction with the IDF and the ISA. We have given powers for an emergency here. These measures are important, legitimate and necessary to heartlessness in the State of Israel."

"I again call on the citizens of Israel not to take the law into their own hands; whoever does so will be punished severely. I would like to participate in the sorrow of the families that have lost their dear ones – the families of five-year-old Ido Avigal and soldier Omer Tabib and five other families of five citizens who unfortunately lost their lives. We will act with full force against enemies from outside and law-breakers from inside to rest too the State of Israel."

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has launched a major bombardment of the Gaza Strip from air, sea and land as Netanyahu vowed to extract a ‘heavy price’ from Hamas.

According to a report by The Times of Israel, over 1,050 rockets and mortar shells have been fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel since the outbreak of fighting on Monday evening, with 200 failing to clear the border and landing inside the enclave.

IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman says the Iron Dome air defence system had an interception rate between 85 and 90 per cent of rockets heading toward populated areas.

(With inputs from agencies)

Israel PM Netanyahu on Thursday said his government is massing troops along the Gaza frontier ahead of a possible ground invasion of the Hamas-ruled territory, as the two bitter enemies plunged closer to all-out war.

Israel PM Netanyahu on Thursday said his government is massing troops along the Gaza frontier ahead of a possible ground invasion of the Hamas-ruled territory, as the two bitter enemies plunged closer to all-out war. "Citizens of Israel, we are dealing with a campaign on two fronts. The first front – Gaza. I said that we would extract a very heavy price from Hamas and the other terrorist organizations. We are doing so and we will continue to do so with great force. The last word has not been saying and this operation will continue as long as necessary to restore the quiet and security to the State of Israel," said Netanyahu. "The second front – Israel's cities. I repeat what I said earlier today: We give 100% backing to the police, to the soldiers of the Border Police and to other security forces to restore law and order to Israel's cities. We will not tolerate anarchy," he added. "We back the police in using all means with full powers, including in conjunction with the IDF and the ISA. We have given powers for an emergency here. These measures are important, legitimate and necessary to heartlessness in the State of Israel." "I again call on the citizens of Israel not to take the law into their own hands; whoever does so will be punished severely. I would like to participate in the sorrow of the families that have lost their dear ones – the families of five-year-old Ido Avigal and soldier Omer Tabib and five other families of five citizens who unfortunately lost their lives. We will act with full force against enemies from outside and law-breakers from inside to rest too the State of Israel." The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has launched a major bombardment of the Gaza Strip from air, sea and land as Netanyahu vowed to extract a ‘heavy price’ from Hamas. According to a report by The Times of Israel, over 1,050 rockets and mortar shells have been fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel since the outbreak of fighting on Monday evening, with 200 failing to clear the border and landing inside the enclave. IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman says the Iron Dome air defence system had an interception rate between 85 and 90 per cent of rockets heading toward populated areas. (With inputs from agencies)

Will use more 'heavy force' against Hamas in Gaza: Israel PM Netanyahu

50 rockets fired on Israel from Gaza. Watch video to know more.

50 rockets fired on Israel from Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he had ordered the military to launch further strikes on Gaza Strip militants <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israeli-man-killed-in-rocket-strike-from-gaza-police-216023">in response to rocket fire from the territory</a>, as an escalation entered its second day.

"I instructed the (military) this morning to continue its massive strikes on terror elements in the Gaza Strip and ordered (it) to reinforce the troops around the Gaza Strip with tanks, artillery and infantry forces," Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.

Israel said around 450 rockets or mortars had been fired from the Palestinian enclave run by Hamas since Saturday, and it responded with waves of air and tank strikes.

Gazan authorities reported six Palestinians killed in the Israeli strikes, including at least two militants.

But Israel disputed their account of the deaths of a pregnant mother and her baby, blaming errant Hamas fire.

One 58-year-old Israeli man was killed overnight by a rocket strike on the city of Ashkelon near the Gaza border, Israeli police and the hospital said.

Netanyahu is currently engaged in tough negotiations to form a new government following his victory in April 9 elections.

A ceasefire brokered by UN and Egyptian officials between Israel and Hamas had led to calm surrounding the elections.

But the past week saw a gradual uptick in violence as Hamas seeks further concessions from Israel.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he had ordered the military to launch further strikes on Gaza Strip militants in response to rocket fire from the territory, as an escalation entered its second day.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he had ordered the military to launch further strikes on Gaza Strip militants in response to rocket fire from the territory, as an escalation entered its second day. "I instructed the (military) this morning to continue its massive strikes on terror elements in the Gaza Strip and ordered (it) to reinforce the troops around the Gaza Strip with tanks, artillery and infantry forces," Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting. Israel said around 450 rockets or mortars had been fired from the Palestinian enclave run by Hamas since Saturday, and it responded with waves of air and tank strikes. Gazan authorities reported six Palestinians killed in the Israeli strikes, including at least two militants. But Israel disputed their account of the deaths of a pregnant mother and her baby, blaming errant Hamas fire. One 58-year-old Israeli man was killed overnight by a rocket strike on the city of Ashkelon near the Gaza border, Israeli police and the hospital said. Netanyahu is currently engaged in tough negotiations to form a new government following his victory in April 9 elections. A ceasefire brokered by UN and Egyptian officials between Israel and Hamas had led to calm surrounding the elections. But the past week saw a gradual uptick in violence as Hamas seeks further concessions from Israel. Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008.

Benjamin Netanyahu vows more 'massive strikes' in response to Gaza rockets

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Hamas makes arrests over Gaza rockets, says security source

Gaza’s rockets: A replenished arsenal that vexes Israel

Will use more 'heavy force' against Hamas in Gaza: Israel PM Netanyahu

50 rockets fired on Israel from Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu vows more 'massive strikes' in response to Gaza rockets