Kylie Lobell — January 16, 2024
Thousands of rockets have been lobbed at Israel by terror organizations. Dive into the numbers to see how many.
Since October 7 the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust Hamas and other militant groups have fired 12,000 rockets at Israel (as of December 28, 2023). In the two weeks following October 7, a total of 7,000 rockets had already been fired at Israel.
The number of Israeli casualties from the rocket fire has reached 15. That surprisingly low number is due to the country's Iron Dome air defense system. Without it, the number of fatalities would be significantly higher.
What Is The Iron Dome And How Successful Is It?
The Iron Dome missile defense system uses radar detection to stop short-range rockets from landing in populated areas of Israel where they could injure or kill anyone in the area. The system detects incoming missiles and intercepts them via a built-in launcher that fires a missile at the rocket, intercepting it so that it explodes in the sky. Though shrapnel may then drop, the damaging power of each rocket is effectively neutralized.
If the Iron Dome's radar system determines that the trajectory of a given missile will cause it to land in an uninhabited area, such as a field, then it does not intercept the rocket. At the same time, when a rocket is heading toward Israel, air raid sirens within the targeted areas are sounded, and depending on how close to Gaza they are located, Israelis have as little as 30 seconds to go into a bomb shelter for safety.
Each Iron Dome missile that's fired at incoming rockets costs $40,000 to $50,000. Due to the high cost of the Iron Dome system and the broader war in general, the US House of Representatives has pledged to provide $14.3 billion to Israel for its defense needs.
Israel developed the Iron Dome following the 2006 conflict with the Southern Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah. During that conflict, rockets from the terrorist organization killed dozens of Israelis causing a huge amount of damage. With some American financial aid, Israeli firms Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries created the Iron Dome to protect Israel.
The Iron Dome's success rate has been as high as 90%. However, when dealing with a barrage of rockets, the system is less likely to be effective. During the current war, it failed on October 27 when a rocket hit an apartment building in Tel Aviv leaving four people injured. If Hezbollah decides to ramp up its activities on Israel's northern front, it could overwhelm the Iron Dome, given that the terrorist group has an estimated 150,000 missiles and rockets in its arsenal.
Notwithstanding, Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus stands by the system. The number of Israelis killed and wounded would be far higher if it had not been for the Iron Dome system, which has been a lifesaver, as it always is, he says.
Which Terrorist Groups Fire Rockets at Israel?
Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations including Palestine Islamic Jihad and Fatah, along with Hezbollah, have all sent rockets into Israel. Lately, Hamas and Hezbollah have been responsible for most of the rockets fired.
What Kind of Rockets Are Being Fired By Hamas And How Far Can They Reach Into Israel?
Since the early 2000s, terrorist organizations in Gaza have launched thousands of rocket and mortar attacks on Israel. In the past, these actions have been condemned as terrorism and called out as war crimes by organizations like the United Nations and the European Union.
Generically dubbed Qassams, the early iterations were crudely developed and relatively ineffective. These early versions would typically only reach communities in the immediate vicinity of the Gaza Strip. But beginning in 2006, terrorist groups started producing longer-range rockets that, when launched from Gaza, could reach the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon; by 2012 the locally made "M-75" as we'll as Iranian Fajr-5 rockets we're able to reach as far as Tel Aviv which is in central Israel. Another notable milestone occurred in 2014 when these rockets we're able to reach as far as the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Some of those rockets also contained white phosphorous which acts as an additional incendiary.
Reports have indicated that, at times, the rockets have been launched from the UN's Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) facilities in Gaza as we'll as from areas in the Strip designated as humanitarian zones. Indeed, Hamas is known for using human shields and hiding out in hospitals, schools, mosques, and other civilian facilities.
Rocket Misfires Are Deadly to Palestinian Gazans
One of the consequences of Hamas rocket barrages is that some tend to fall short of their targets. As of November 10, 2023, about 12% of rockets launched in the Strip towards Israel ended up falling within Gaza.
On October 17, controversy erupted when many major media outlets reported that, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, an Israeli airstrike on a Gaza City hospital left 471 dead. In reality, Israeli and US intelligence services determined that the deadly blast at the al-Ahli Arab hospital was caused, instead, by another Gaza-based terrorist group whose rocket misfired. As well, the actual death toll from the misfired rocket was estimated to be lower between 100 and 300, according to US intelligence.
How Frequently Are Rockets Fired Into Israel?
Since 2005, when Israel withdrew from Gaza, Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist organizations have fired more than 18,000 rockets and mortars at Israel. These rockets have a variety of ranges, but overall many can now hit a majority of Israel's central and southern population centers, including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Beersheba, and Rehovot. Hamas launches have been erratic, however. There have been as few as one rocket fired at a time, to up to thousands launched within hours or even days.
Since 2008, How Many Rockets Have Been Fired at Israel?
There have been a number of Israeli operations into Gaza over the years, after repeated and frequent rocket attacks as we'll as other incursions on Israel since 2008. These include:
The Number of Rockets Fired Into Israel Over Time
Year
Estimated Number of Rockets Fired
2008
2,000
2009
550
2010
150
2011
700
2012
2,250
2013
30
2014
2,800
2015
20
2016
15
2017
20
2018
400
2019
850
2020
150
2021
4,300
2022
1,100
2023
12,000
How Many Rockets Were Fired at Israel in 2023?
The rocket attacks on Israel in 2023 that came from Gaza started long before October 7, though they have been much more intense since then. From May 9-13, 1,469 rockets and mortar shells we're fired into Israel; most came from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Of those, 291 landed within the Gaza Strip; 131 landed in Israel; and 39 fell into the Mediterranean sea. Two people in Israel we're left dead, many we're wounded.
Between October 7 through the end of December 2023, Hamas and additional militant groups have fired upward of 12,000 rockets at Israel.
Where Does Hamas Get Their Rockets From?
Hamas obtains rockets and other weapons from a variety of sources. When Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, Hamas began importing rockets and other military equipment from Iran. The weapons from Iran were shipped to Sudan, then trucked across Egypt and eventually smuggled through narrow tunnels built underneath the Sinai Peninsula.
While there has yet been no direct link made between the October 7 attacks and Iran, a source told Reuters that Iran prepared and trained Hamas for the massacre that day.
A Second Front on Israel's North: Rockets Fired From Lebanon
Hamas is not the only terror group lobbing rockets toward Israel. While much attention has been given to Hamas rocket fire from Gaza, additional barrages are coming from Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah, a Lebanese terror group with strong ties to Iran, has been consistently firing rockets into Israel's northern territory, raising the possibility of a legitimate second front to the war.
As of mid-November 2023, it was estimated that Hezbollah has fired over 1,000 rockets, mortars, or other artillery toward Israel's northern towns as part of the current conflict.
According to a report drafted on January 7, 2024, the total number of weaponry fired into Israel by Hezbollah has topped 1,500 since October 7, 2023. This includes a one-day barrage of 62 rockets in response to the targeted killing of Hamas chief Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut on January 2.
Source List
New York Times — "Hamas and Other Militant Groups Are Firing Rockets Into Israel Every Day" — December 28, 2023
AP News — "Is Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system ironclad?" — October 24, 2023
BBC — "What is Israel's Iron Dome missile system and how does it work?" — November 6, 2023
CNN — "House passes $14.3 billion in Israel aid, setting up showdown with Senate" — November 2, 2023
Jewish Virtual Library — "Rocket Threat to Israel: Hamas Rocket Range from Gaza" — 2023
Reuters — "How Hamas secretly built a 'mini-army' to fight Israel" — October 16, 2023
Reuters — "Hamas fires rockets deep into Israel, setting off sirens in Tel Aviv" — November 10, 2023
Wikipedia,List of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel in 2023
Wikipedia,Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel
Times of Israel — "IDF says Hamas firing rockets from Gaza safe zones as civilian scramble for shelter" — December 7, 2023
Wikipedia,Operation Hot Winter
Wikipedia,2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks
Wikipedia,March 2012 Gaza Israel clashes
Wikipedia,2014 Gaza War
Wikipedia,2021 Israel-Palestine crisis
Wikipedia,2022 Gaza Israel clashes
Council of Foreign Relations — "What Is Hezbollah" — October 14, 2023
Times of Israel — "Gallant: Hezbollah has fired over 1,000 munitions at Israel since start of war" — November 19, 2023
BESA — "The Gaza Terror Offensive" — January 7, 2024
Reuters — "Israel, Hezbollah trade fire across Lebanon border amid alarm over Gaza war spillover" — January 6, 2024
Kylie Ora Lobell
Kylie Ora Lobell is president of KOL Digital Marketing, a marketing and PR firm for businesses, organizations, authors, and influencers. She is also an award-winning journalist with bylines in the Washington Post, New York Magazine, Aish, Tablet, and the Los Angeles Times.