Palestinian Rocket Attacks on Israel in 2009

Operation Cast Lead began on December 27, 2008, after an Egyptian-brokered lull expired and Palestinians in Gaza fired close to 200 Katyusha and Kassam rockets and Iranian-produced 120mm mortar shells at Israel's civilian population during the following week.[3] The operation continued through January 18, 2009. The Israel Security Agency recorded 406 rocket launches and 138 mortar-shell launches during January, accounting for most of the year's high-trajectory fire.[1]

The attacks' range expanded beyond communities immediately adjacent to Gaza. Longer-range 122mm Grad rockets and Grad-style copies brought Ashkelon, Ashdod, Beersheba, Gedera, and other southern Israeli communities within reach. The Congressional Research Service reported that some Grad-style rockets were alleged to be Iranian-made and that the longer-range weapons represented a significant expansion of Hamas and allied groups' capabilities.[4]

The Israeli withdrawal was completed on January 21, 2009. Israeli officials assessed that Operation Cast Lead produced a deterrent effect because rocket and mortar attacks dropped sharply afterward, although they did not cease.[2]

The year's attacks divided into two distinct phases: concentrated rocket and mortar fire during Operation Cast Lead in January, followed by lower but persistent fire after the ceasefire. The Israel Security Agency counted 406 rocket launches in January, followed by 49 in February and 50 in March. Monthly launches then remained in single digits until September, when the total rose to 15.[1] The dated chronologies below document selected incidents rather than every projectile included in those monthly totals.

Following the Israeli ceasefire on January 18 and the completion of the withdrawal on January 21, rocket and mortar fire continued at a reduced pace. On January 25, a PFLP squad attempted to launch a rocket near Beit Hanoun, but the projectile fell inside the Gaza Strip. On January 28, a rocket landed in Israeli territory near the southern Gaza Strip; Fatah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility, and no casualties or property damage were reported.[5]

On January 29, a rocket fell in an open area near Sderot, and on January 31 another fell south of Ashkelon; neither caused reported casualties or property damage. The chronology also records that on January 20 eleven mortar shells were fired at IDF forces and into Israeli territory, while a rocket fell in a kibbutz parking lot in the northwest Negev.[5]

The Israel Security Agency counted 49 rocket launches in February, the second-highest post-operation monthly total of the year.[1] On February 1, three rockets were fired at towns and villages in the western Negev; one fell between kindergarten buildings and another in an open field. Mortar fire that day caused two Israeli soldiers to sustain minor shrapnel injuries.[5]

On February 3, a 122mm Grad rocket landed between two houses in Ashkelon, damaging vehicles and causing three civilians to be treated for shock. Between February 10 and 16, thirteen rockets were fired, including a Grad that landed southwest of Yavneh; six mortar shells were also fired, some toward an Israeli Navy vessel near the Gaza shore.[6] Between February 17 and 24, twelve rockets and fifteen mortar shells were fired. Four rocket hits were identified on February 19 and two more near Sderot on February 23, without reported casualties or damage.[6]

On February 28, two upgraded 175mm rockets, described as having a maximum range of 18 kilometers, struck Ashkelon. One hit a school building and caused serious structural damage. The school was empty because the attack occurred on a Saturday, while seven nearby civilians suffered stress-related trauma.[6] On February 26, rockets struck Sderot and its vicinity, damaging a private house and causing three civilians to be treated for shock.[6]

The Israel Security Agency counted 50 rocket launches in March, the highest monthly total after the end of Operation Cast Lead.[1] During March 3–8, seventeen rockets and nine mortar shells were fired from Gaza, with one rocket striking Netivot. On March 5, Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for an anti-tank missile fired at an IDF patrol near the border fence.[6] Between March 9 and 16, fourteen more rockets fell in Israeli territory, most in open areas without causing casualties or property damage.[6]

The March 17–24 bulletin reported no rocket fire during that specific period, while three mortar shells were fired at IDF forces along the Gaza border security fence. Hamas's Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for mortar fire on March 22; no casualties or damage were reported.[6] During March 24–31, two rockets and one mortar shell were fired. The March 31 attack followed the prevention of an attempt to place an improvised explosive device near the border fence.[6]

Rocket fire declined markedly in the spring. The Israel Security Agency counted six rocket launches in April and five in May.[1] Between April 1 and 7, two rockets and two mortar shells were fired; between April 15 and 20, two rockets fell in open areas of the western Negev; and between April 28 and May 5, one rocket and three mortar shells were launched. No injuries or damage were reported in the April 1–7 incidents.[6]

Between May 5 and 12, four rockets and two mortar-shell hits were identified in non-inhabited areas without reported casualties.[6] On May 19, a rocket struck a house in Sderot, damaging the building and causing two residents to be treated for shock.[7][6] Hamas's Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades initially claimed responsibility, then removed the claim and replaced it with a statement attributing the attack to the broader Palestinian resistance.[8]

The Israel Security Agency counted four rocket launches in June, one in July, and two in August.[1] A rocket hit was identified in the western Negev between June 9 and 15 without causing casualties or damage.[6]

On July 16, a rocket struck south of Kibbutz Nahal Oz without casualties or damage. Mortar shells also fell near the Karni crossing on July 7, and three mortar shells were fired at an IDF patrol near the Sufa crossing on July 5. Armed Palestinians used RPGs and mortar shells against an IDF force on July 19.[6]

On August 10, a rocket struck an open area near a western Negev village. It was the first rocket hit in three weeks, caused no casualties or damage, and was not claimed by any organization.[4] Between August 24 and 30, another rocket hit and two mortar-shell hits were identified near a western Negev village. One mortar shell landed inside an IDF base north of Gaza and slightly wounded a soldier.[6]

The Israel Security Agency counted 15 rocket launches in September, 9 in October, 13 in November, and 6 in December.[1] September's activity included a barrage on September 3, when seven mortar shells were fired over a 24-hour period—four at an IDF force near the security fence and three toward western Negev communities. Hamas's Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility, and no casualties or damage were reported.[6]

Three rocket hits and seven mortar-shell hits were identified between September 1 and 8. Five additional rocket hits were recorded between September 15 and 28, along with a mortar shell fired at civilians working near the fence. During September 29–October 5, five rocket hits were recorded near Israeli communities, while another rocket fell inside Gaza.[6]

October's attacks were scattered, including a mortar shell near Sderot on October 7, two rocket hits between October 12 and 19, and a rocket near a western Negev town on October 21. November's chronology lists three rocket hits during November 1–14 and four during November 17–24, with two mortar shells also fired on November 16. The December chronology documents five of that month's launches across the periods December 1–8, December 9–14, and December 15–22; the listed projectiles landed in open areas without reported casualties or damage.[6]

Several Palestinian terrorist factions operating from Gaza claimed responsibility for attacks during 2009. Hamas's Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades claimed mortar fire directed at IDF forces in March and September.[6] Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the anti-tank missile fired at an IDF patrol on March 5. On January 28, Fatah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed a rocket that landed near the southern Gaza Strip, while the PFLP was identified with the failed January 25 launch that fell inside Gaza.[6][5]

Hamas also enforced its post-Cast Lead unilateral ceasefire by stopping some rocket attacks, arresting members of other factions who fired on Israel, and negotiating with other organizations to prevent violence.[2] The Israel Security Agency assessed that Hamas concentrated on rebuilding military capabilities, restoring weapons-smuggling tunnels, and producing self-made rockets after the operation.[1]

Separately, five Katyusha incidents originated in southern Lebanon on January 8, January 14, February 21, September 11, and October 27. Several were claimed by the al-Qaida-inspired Ziyad al-Jarrah Battalions, and no casualties were reported. These attacks were geographically distinct from Gaza-origin fire and are not included in the Gaza chronology.[2]

The State Department's 2009 human-rights report attributed four civilian deaths and 34 civilian injuries in Israel to Palestinian rocket and other terrorist attacks during the year.[7] Those figures encompass more than rocket fire alone. The Israel Security Agency reported 15 deaths and 234 injuries from Palestinian terrorism across all methods in 2009. Nine deaths occurred during the January Gaza Operation period, including five civilians or soldiers killed by high-trajectory fire; the annual totals also include friendly fire and non-rocket terrorist attacks.[1]

Documented property damage included the February 28 strike on an Ashkelon school, which caused serious structural damage and led seven nearby civilians to be treated for shock. A February 3 Grad strike in Ashkelon damaged vehicles and caused three civilians to be treated for shock. Rockets also damaged private homes in Sderot on February 26 and May 19.[6]

Many listed projectiles landed in open or uninhabited areas, while others fell inside the Gaza Strip. The dated chronologies nevertheless show that communities including Sderot, Ashkelon, Netivot, and other western Negev localities continued to face intermittent rocket and mortar fire throughout the year.

The volume of rocket and mortar fire fell sharply after Operation Cast Lead. Israeli officials attributed the decline to deterrence created by the operation, while the Congressional Research Service described post-ceasefire fire as sporadic and substantially below the pre-operation rate.[2][4] The Israel Security Agency assessed that Hamas used the quieter period to restore tunnels, rebuild military capabilities, and develop locally manufactured rockets, leaving the underlying threat in place despite the reduced rate of attacks.[1]

Official sources used different counting units. The Israel Security Agency's 2009 annual summary recorded 566 rocket launches and 287 mortar-shell launches, for 853 individual projectiles. It explained that a salvo of three projectiles is counted as one attack but three launchings.[1] A retrospective ISA review published the following year revised the figures to 569 rockets and 289 mortar shells, including 407 rockets and 137 mortar shells during Operation Cast Lead.[9]

The State Department's terrorism report counted 566 rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza in 2009, rather than separately reporting rocket and mortar projectiles.[2] Its 2009 human-rights report recorded 125 rockets and 70 mortar shells after January 21, while a later report described approximately 195 rockets and mortar shells during 2009.[7][10] A Jewish Virtual Library annual table lists 158 attacks for 2009 but does not define whether that figure represents launches, hits, or attack events.[11]

The available totals are not directly interchangeable. Some sources count individual launches, others use attack events or confirmed impacts, and their reporting periods differ. The ISA's 2009 and 2010 publications also contain slightly different retrospective totals—566 versus 569 rockets and 287 versus 289 mortar shells—showing that even figures from the same institution were revised.[9][1]

The dated chronologies provide selected weekly incidents but do not enumerate every projectile included in the annual totals. They also distinguish rockets that reached Israel from those that misfired or landed inside Gaza. A Thai agricultural worker's death from a Gaza rocket, sometimes associated with the post-Cast Lead period, occurred in March 2010 rather than March 2009 and is therefore excluded from this article.[10] These methodological and chronological boundaries explain why no single available figure constitutes an uncontested, complete day-by-day count of every 2009 attack.