Palestinian Rocket Attacks on Israel in 2013

The first rocket fired from Gaza to strike Israeli territory after the November 2012 ceasefire landed south of Ashkelon on February 26, 2013, ending more than three months without a Gaza rocket hit in Israel.[2] Operation Pillar of Defense had ended on November 21, 2012.

The lull did not end rocket fire. The U.S. Department of State reported that sporadic attacks by Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist groups continued during 2013.[1] A later Israeli government report counted 41 rockets and mortars fired from Gaza during the year and characterized them as violations of the post-November 2012 understandings.[4] Responsibility claims for individual attacks also came from smaller Salafi-jihadist organizations, although several attributions remained contested.

Rocket and mortar fire from Gaza remained the most prevalent form of attack by Palestinian terrorist organizations during the year, despite its substantial decline from 2012.[1] The State Department identified Hamas, the Popular Resistance Committees, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Gaza-based Salafist splinter groups among the terrorist threats to Israel. A separate threat came from the Sinai Peninsula, from which five projectiles were launched toward southern Israel during 2013.[1]

On February 26, a rocket fired from Gaza landed south of Ashkelon without causing injuries. Sources differ on property damage: the Jewish Virtual Library chronology reports some damage to a road, while the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center records no damage.[2][5] The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility, and the strike was the first recorded attack after the ceasefire that ended Operation Pillar of Defense.[2][6]

Accounts of the March 21 attack differ on the number and disposition of the rockets. The Meir Amit center reported that five rockets were fired from Beit Hanoun and that two landed in Israel, one damaging a house in Sderot.[7] The State Department later described at least five rockets as having been fired at Sderot.[6] The Jewish Virtual Library chronology instead lists four rockets, two landing in Sderot and two inside Gaza, with no injuries.[2]

The State Department and Jewish Virtual Library report that the Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem claimed responsibility.[6][2] The Meir Amit center identifies the claimant as the Shura Council of Jihad Fighters, illustrating the uncertainty surrounding attribution.[7] Hamas denied involvement, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack.[2]

On April 2, remains apparently associated with the March 21 firing were found inside a Sderot kindergarten. The rocket had penetrated the roof and ceiling and partially exploded while children were away for Passover vacation.[7] Israel temporarily restricted the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings and reduced Gaza's permitted fishing zone from six nautical miles to three.[7]

April saw repeated rocket and mortar fire. The Meir Amit center reported that ten rocket hits were identified in Israeli territory during the month.[8] Between April 1 and 3, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired two Qassam rockets toward the western Negev and three mortars toward Israel; one mortar landed in the Eshkol Regional Council without causing injury or damage.[2]

On April 17, two Grad rockets were fired from the Sinai Peninsula at Eilat. Sources differ on their landing sites: the Meir Amit center reported that one struck a construction site and the other landed in an open area near the Israeli-Jordanian border, while the Jewish Virtual Library chronology described one as landing in a residential area. No casualties were reported.[9][2] The Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem claimed responsibility, citing Palestinian prisoner deaths and Hamas's detention of Salafist operatives in Gaza.[9] The State Department later recorded both the attack and the organization's responsibility claim.[6]

The Jewish Virtual Library chronology records three rocket hits between April 18 and 25, followed by three rocket hits and two mortar hits between April 26 and May 2, without injuries or damage.[2] A more detailed Meir Amit chronology places rocket hits on April 18, 20, 27, and 28 and records a rocket that fell inside Palestinian territory on April 26. Israeli aircraft subsequently struck terrorist facilities and a weapons-storage site in southern Gaza, and Israel temporarily closed the crossings into Gaza.[8]

A separate assessment reported 22 rockets and mortars fired at Israel during April—20 from Gaza and two from Sinai.[10] That aggregate is not directly comparable with chronologies counting confirmed hits or grouped attack incidents.

On May 15, a rocket hit an open area in the western Negev during Shavuot, causing no casualties or damage.[2] An Israeli embassy chronology separately records a rocket hit on May 2, whereas the Jewish Virtual Library chronology places two mortar hits in the Eshkol Regional Council on that date.[11][2]

On the night of June 23–24, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired six rockets toward southern Israel.[2] Four hits were identified near Netivot and the Bnei Shimon Regional Council, while two rockets aimed at Ashkelon were intercepted by Iron Dome. On June 19, three additional rockets were fired toward Ashkelon but were believed to have landed inside Gaza.[2] Israel temporarily suspended commercial border crossings, and the Israel Defense Forces struck two terrorist sites in Gaza.[2]

Israeli intelligence assessed that Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired the June rockets as an act of defiance against Hamas authorities in Gaza.[12] The incident reflected tensions among armed organizations operating under Hamas rule.

Three rockets landed in southern Israel during the last week of July without causing casualties or damage. Two were fired on July 24, and a third landed on July 30, the first full day of resumed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.[2]

Rockets launched on July 25, July 29, and July 31 misfired and landed inside Gaza rather than reaching Israeli territory.[2]

On August 7, a rocket hit an open area in the western Negev, causing no casualties or damage.[2]

On August 13, two rockets launched from the Sinai Peninsula caused explosions near Eilat.[2] Iron Dome intercepted one; the other apparently fell away from the city and was not immediately located.[13][3] JNS reported no injuries from the blast and no property damage, while the Jewish Virtual Library chronology recorded two civilians treated for shock and a woman who broke her leg while running for cover.[3][2]

The Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem, described as a consortium of Salafi-jihadist groups based primarily in Gaza, claimed responsibility and said the attack responded to the killing of members of the Sinai-based Ansar Jerusalem organization.[14][6] The State Department subsequently recorded the organization's responsibility claim for the attack.[6]

The April and August Eilat attacks originated in Sinai, although responsibility was claimed by a Gaza-based or Gaza-linked Salafi-jihadist organization. The attacks demonstrated that southern Israel faced fire from beyond the immediate Gaza border.

On September 18, a rocket hit an open area in the western Negev without causing casualties or damage.[2] On October 8, another rocket fired from Gaza landed in an open area in Israel, also without casualties or damage.[2]

On October 27, two mortar shells fell in southern Israel. The next day, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired two rockets toward the Ashkelon area. Iron Dome intercepted one, while the other landed in an uninhabited area in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council.[2][15] Israeli aircraft responded by striking two rocket launchers in northern Gaza.[15] An Israeli government chronology also records a mortar shell launched into the western Negev on November 1.[11]

On November 14, two mortar shells were fired from Gaza toward an IDF force conducting routine operations near the security fence; one landed near the soldiers but caused no casualties or damage. On November 19, three mortar shells targeted another IDF force operating along the fence, again without casualties or damage.[2]

On the night of December 23, a rocket landed near a bus stop in the western Negev. On December 26, two rockets fell in open areas near Ashkelon. Across the three incidents, no casualties and only minor damage were reported.[2]

The Israeli Air Force responded to the December 26 attack by striking a weapons-manufacturing site in central Gaza and a weapons-storage depot in northern Gaza.[16]

Annual totals differ because sources count launches, confirmed impacts, combined rocket-and-mortar figures, or grouped attack incidents.

The U.S. Department of State recorded 74 rocket and mortar launchings against southern Israel from Gaza and Sinai in 2013, compared with 2,557 in 2012.[1] Of the 74 launchings, 69 originated in Gaza and five in Sinai. Israeli authorities identified 36 hits in Israeli territory, while the remaining projectiles landed in Gaza or the Mediterranean Sea.[1] The International Institute for Counter-Terrorism cited the same Shin Bet figures.[17]

The Meir Amit center separately reported 39 Gaza-origin rocket hits identified in Israeli territory during 2013 and described the year as the quietest since Hamas came to power in Gaza.[18] Because 39 Gaza-origin hits exceed the State Department's figure of 36 identified hits from Gaza and Sinai combined, the totals cannot be reconciled simply by excluding Sinai; they reflect different underlying datasets or counting practices.[18][1]

Shin Bet figures reported by Ynetnews list 64 rockets and 11 mortar shells fired at Israel in 2013, compared with 2,327 rockets and 230 mortars in 2012.[19] A separate Israeli government report states that Hamas and other terrorist organizations fired 41 rockets and mortars from Gaza in 2013.[4]

The Jewish Virtual Library's annual statistics list 55 attack cases originating from Gaza, 63 rockets, and 11 mortars, noting that simultaneous projectiles were often counted as one attack.[20] A separate Jewish Virtual Library report reproduces the State Department figures of 74 launchings and 36 identified hits.[21]

The State Department's comparison of 74 launchings in 2013 with 2,557 in 2012 represents a decline of about 97 percent.[1] Other annual sources likewise show a steep reduction, although their totals are not directly interchangeable because they use different units and geographic scopes.[19][20]

Several organizations claimed responsibility for, or were attributed with, attacks during 2013.

The State Department described the Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem as a consolidation of Salafi terrorist groups based in Gaza and recorded its responsibility claims for the February, March, April, and August attacks.[6] The group linked the April and August attacks to grievances including Palestinian prisoner deaths, Hamas's detention of Salafist operatives, and the killing of Ansar Jerusalem members in Sinai.[9][14] These were claims by the organization rather than independently established attributions.

The Meir Amit center instead identified the Shura Council of Jihad Fighters as the claimant for the March 21 attack, illustrating overlapping or disputed attribution.[7] Palestinian Islamic Jihad was assessed by Israeli intelligence to have fired the June rockets as an act of defiance against Hamas.[12] The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed the February 26 attack.[2] Hamas denied involvement in the March attack, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned it.[2]

The State Department identified Hamas, the Popular Resistance Committees, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Gaza-based Salafist splinter groups among the principal organizations posing terrorist threats through rocket and mortar fire in 2013.[1]

Israel responded to attacks with military strikes, temporary border restrictions, and the Iron Dome missile defense system.

During the June barrage, Iron Dome intercepted two rockets aimed at Ashkelon.[2] On August 13, it intercepted a Grad rocket targeting Eilat from Sinai.[3][14] On October 28, the system intercepted one of two rockets fired toward Ashkelon.[15]

Following the March 21 Sderot attack, Israel restricted the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings and reduced Gaza's permitted fishing zone.[7] After the sustained April fire, Israeli aircraft struck terrorist facilities and a weapons-storage site in southern Gaza.[8] The October 28 attack prompted strikes on two rocket launchers in northern Gaza.[15] Following the December 26 attack, the Israeli Air Force hit weapons-manufacturing and storage sites.[16]

A later Israeli government report placed the reduced fire of 2013 within a temporary post-ceasefire lull. It stated that attacks intensified again in 2014, with more than 80 rockets and mortars fired at Israel during March 2014 alone.[4]

Annual totals vary substantially. An Israeli government report lists 41 rockets and mortars fired from Gaza.[4] Jewish Virtual Library statistics list 55 attack cases, 63 rockets, and 11 mortars.[20] Ynetnews reports Shin Bet figures of 64 rockets and 11 mortars fired at Israel.[19] The State Department and International Institute for Counter-Terrorism list 74 launchings from Gaza and Sinai, of which 36 landed in Israeli territory.[1][17] These figures count different phenomena and should not be treated as competing measurements of the same unit.

Attribution also requires qualification. The State Department records claims by the Mujahideen Shura Council for several attacks but does not independently establish each attribution.[6] Hamas denied involvement in the March 21 attack, while sources differ over whether the claimant was the Mujahideen Shura Council or the Shura Council of Jihad Fighters.[7][2]

Accounts of individual incidents also diverge. For February 26, one chronology reports road damage while another source reports none.[5][2] For March 21, reports describe either four or at least five rockets and differ on how many landed in Israel or Gaza.[7][2] The available chronologies should therefore be presented as differing source accounts rather than combined into a single, artificially precise inventory.