Israel starts new year under rocket barrage
Israel started 2024 under a barrage of rocket fire that sent New Year’s Eve revelers running for cover, as Israeli officials warned that the war against Hamas will rage on in the new year.
“New year, same Hamas terrorism,” the IDF wrote on X alongside footage of the flurry of over 20 rockets that lit up the skies just moments after midnight Monday.
“While 129 Israelis are still being held captive by Hamas in Gaza, Hamas also decided to start 2024 by launching a barrage of rockets at Israel,” the military added.
“There is no ‘happy’ New Year until they are all home.”
Most of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome system, the Times of Israel said.
Sirens sounded in multiple cities in central Israel, including Rehovot, Ness Ziona, and Holon.
Sderot and Ashdod in the south were also under alert.
As Hamas pounded Israel, some Israelis ran for cover while others kept up their New Year’s Eve parties with a shrug, France24 reported.
“My heart was pounding,” Gabriel Zemelman, 26, told the outlet. “It’s terrifying.”
No injuries were initially reported, the Times of Israel said, citing the Magen David Adom ambulance service.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari warned Hamas that the war will ramp up in the new year.
“We will be required for additional tasks and warfare throughout this year,” Hagari said.
Later on Monday, Kibbutz Be’eri confirmed that resident Ilan Weiss – who was believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7 – was confirmed killed in the attack on the community, NBC News reported.
“It is believed he was murdered,” the kibbutz announced.
Weiss’ wife, Shiri, 53, and 18-year-old daughter Noga, was taken hostage during the Oct. 7 attack and were released on Nov. 25 as part of the temporary ceasefire deal, the Times of Israel said.
Some of the released hostages and family members of those still held in Gaza returned to Be’eri on Monday to discuss their survival, the outlet added.
“I’m coping with the fear because the scariest thing to me is that my dad, Yossi, who’s being held hostage in Gaza, is still there,” Oran Sharabi, 13, told journalists at the emotional press conference organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
The gathering took place outside the charred remains of what was once the home of Raaya Rotem and her daughter, Hila, who were both released as part of the November deal.
Raaya recalled eating an orange in captivity.
“We divided it among ourselves. Each of us got a tiny slice,” she said, adding that “time is running out for the hostages. Food is running out. Water is running out. We need to bring the hostages back.”
Also on Monday, the IDF announced that it had struck a Hezbollah cell that was preparing to launch drones from southern Lebanon.
“In the morning, the IDF identified a terrorist squad from the terrorist organization Hezbollah, which attempted to launch an unmanned aircraft towards Israeli territory,” the announcement on X read, alongside footage of smoke rising from the target.
“An Air Force aircraft attacked the squad before it could carry out the launch and destroyed the aircraft they used,” the statement added, referring to the incident as another example of terrorists exploiting civilian populations to carry out attacks.
Threats of Hezbollah have displaced thousands of Israelis from the northern part of the country, which shares a tense border with southern Lebanon.
Thousands of Israeli troops are also being moved out of the Gaza Strip, the military said Monday.
The first significant drawback of troops since the war started 87 days ago, the move could signal that operations are scaling down in parts of Gaza – particularly in the north, where the military has previously said it is close to operational control.
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