Residents of Ashkelon, an Israeli city located in the southern industrial zone frequently targeted by Palestinian movement Hamas, have shared photographs of their collection of ammunition fragments with “Gazeta.Ru.” These fragments were found near their workplaces, where Hamas militants often launch attacks. Most of the homemade rockets are intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, and some of the fragments in the photos belong to it. “In all the channels, there are photos of residents collecting these fragments. A piece landed on my friend’s balcony, and she kept it as a memento,” another Ashkelon resident told “Gazeta.Ru.”
On October 7, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that terrorists from the Gaza Strip had infiltrated Israeli border areas following a massive rocket attack from the enclave. At least 2,200 rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory since Saturday morning. Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, stated that the Palestinian radical Islamist movement had declared war on his country. Consequently, the defense ministry has initiated a mass mobilization of reservists.
On the evening of October 10, Hamas fired over 100 rockets at the Israeli city of Ashkelon. Local residents noted that they had never witnessed such a large-scale barrage before. It was also reported that if Israel does not cease its policy of relocating civilians, Hamas will continue to target and destroy Ashkelon, and potentially expand its attacks to other cities. Prior to this, Hamas had urged Ashkelon residents in southern Israel to evacuate their homes by 5 pm due to the planned shelling.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to destroy Hamas, the militant group responsible for the escalating conflict.
