On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced they killed the commander of a Hamas terror group anti-tank missile unit, Iyad Fathi Faik Sharir. Shortly after the Israeli announcement, air attack sirens began to blare around the Israeli city of Tel Aviv warning of incoming rockets.
Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system began intercepting rockets incoming over central Israel.
“Interceptions over central Israel (Video: Yuval Shlomi),” Times of Israel editor Emanuel Fabian tweeted.
“Video of Iron Dome interceptions over central Israel,” Fabian continued
The new rocket attacks come as a continuation of the attacks targeting Israel that have been ongoing for more than a day.
“The last 24 hours in Israel,” The IDF tweeted with a time-lapse of the attacks in which an estimated 470 rockets have been fired.
“Another video from Central #Israel showing the Iron Dome systems at work,” another accounter tweeted.
The massive Hamas rocket attack appears to be an attempt to overwhelm the Iron Dome system.
One Twitter user shared video of waves of rockets flying towards Tel Aviv and tweeted, “Footage as the Gaza factions attempt to disrupt the precision Israeli defenses with overwhelming rocket attacks over main population centers around Tel Aviv this night.”
The Iron Dome system has not been able to stop all of the rockets fired at Israel over the last day. On Tuesday morning, Israeli officials announced at least 2 Israeli civilians have been killed in the rocket attacks and others have been injured.
Fabian tweeted another video showing the aftermath of a rocket strike in the city of Holon, which neighbors Tel Aviv. “Impacts cause major damage in Holon.”
The IDF shared a photo of a bus engulfed in flames and tweeted, “One of the 100s of rockets that were just fired from Gaza toward Tel Aviv and central Israel exploded on a civilian bus. Hamas’ intentions are clear: kill Israeli civilians. We won’t stand by and let this happen.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “”I have just finished at the Southern Command assessing the situation with the Minister of Defense, the Chief of Staff and the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Command. We are in the midst of a campaign. Since yesterday, the IDF has attacked hundreds of attacks on Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza.”
Netanyahu said the Israeli strikes would increase in speed and intensity
“Hamas will receive blows here that it did not expect,” Netanyahu continued.
Netanyahu also called for Israeli civilians to comply with safety instructions and have patience.
“I know that this also involves patience and a certain sacrifice on your part, you citizens of Israel,” he said. “Unfortunately, two of our civilians were killed. I ask all of you to obey the instructions, to strictly observe the instructions of the Home Front Command, it saves lives. We have another way to do it, we will do it together responsibly, with full backing for the attacks that the IDF is attacking and will attack.”
On Tuesday the IDF said it has struck around 300 targets linked to Hamas and other Islamist groups, in response to the latest wave of rocket attacks.
