People take cover as siren warns of incoming missile fired from Yemen, at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv, Oct. 7, 2024. Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90
The first anniversary of the Oct. 7 catastrophe in Israel was overshadowed by heavy rocket fire that targeted central Israel from four directions during the somber day.
Alarm sirens were activated in Tel Aviv and surrounding areas after ballistic missiles were fired at the region from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. In addition, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) launched drone attacks.
The entire day was marked by somber memorials and heavy rocket attacks throughout the nation.
The day began with Hezbollah rockets wounding several people and causing an unusually large amount of damage in Haifa, Tiberias and Karmiel in the morning. The IDF shot down drones launched from Iraq off the coast of Rishon Letzion.
Then, a first, relatively small barrage was fired by Hamas at the towns in the Gaza Envelope in Israel, where many of the residents had only returned recently after spending months displaced in hotels and alternative accommodations.
Another large-scale attack Hamas planned for the first anniversary of its invasion and massacre was thwarted by an IDF offensive in northern Gaza, the army said.
At 11 a.m., Hamas fired five rockets from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip toward Tel Aviv, Holon, Rishon Lezion, Bat Yam, and several other nearby towns. Two people were lightly wounded by shrapnel and taken to the hospital for treatment.
Soon after, the Gazan terror group fired five more rockets at the city of Sderot and surrounding towns, including Mefalsim and Nir Oz.
Throughout the day, Hezbollah kept firing rockets at northern Israel, without further casualties. Overall, the Lebanese group fired some 200 rockets at Israel on Oct. 7, 2024.
In the evening, flights at Ben-Gurion International Airport were halted and sirens blared across all of central Israel, from Ra’anana in the north to Beit Shemesh in the south, and from Tel Aviv on the coast to the outskirts of Ariel in Samaria, after a missile fired by Yemeni Houthis was intercepted by the IDF.
The sad endpoint was set again by Hezbollah, when it fired five more ballistic missiles toward the Tel Aviv area, claiming it targeted an IDF intelligence base in northern Tel Aviv. The army said that some of the missiles were intercepted, while others landed in open areas.
One year after the greatest catastrophe in Israel’s recent history, its military has Hamas and Hezbollah on the ropes, but the fighting appears to be far from over.
