Gaza marks New Year with a barrage of rockets fired at 'Tel Aviv'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
1 Jan 2024 06:50
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Locals in Gaza, who have been subjected to an 87-day-long war, cheer and applaud as the rocket zip through the air to land in occupied territories.

Palestinian rockets getting intercepted by Israeli anti-air systems in the sky of occupied Palestine, December 31, 2023 (social media)

As the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve, the Palestinian resistance in Gaza launched a barrage of rockets against the capital of the Israeli occupation regime: "Tel Aviv".

The barrage was joyously applauded by the people of Gaza who have been subjected to a genocidal war by the Israeli occupation for the past 87 days.

Israeli media reported that a total of 27 rockets were fired from Gaza during the night, with 18 getting intercepted, and 9 landing in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948.

Despite the measures taken by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) to undermine the resistance's infrastructure in Gaza, Hamas demonstrated its persistent potential to threaten Israeli settlements in the mainland of occupied Palestine.

Prior to this, an IOF spokesperson had informed reporters that Hamas' artillery potential had been weakened to an average of only 14 rockets per day. Only for the resistance to refute this claim shortly afterward by firing dozens of rockets.

Commenting on the situation, Boaz Golan, founder of the 0404 news website and a presenter on Channel 14, highlighted the need for a reassessment, stating, "Hamas continues to launch rockets; it's time to stop humiliating ourselves!"

Read more: Demonstrators in downtown Beirut: no new year celebrations amidst war!

Earlier today, the IOF spokesperson reported that two Israeli occupation reservists were killed.

A Seargent Major of the Yifatch Birgade's 7810th Combat Engineering Battalion and a Seargent First Class of the 7107th Combat Engineering Battalion were killed in the central and northern Gaza Strip respectively.

List of operations on New Year's Eve

Aerial assets

Al-Qassam Brigades and al-Mujahideen Brigades revealed that their fighters conducted a joint operation, targeting an Israeli Apache helicopter with an SA-7, shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile. The Palestinian fighters conducted the operation in the al-Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City, the Brigades announced on Sunday afternoon.

To the north of Gaza City, in Beit Lahia, al-Qassam fighters captured an Israeli Skylark-2 unmanned aerial vehicle, while it was on a reconnaissance mission. The Brigades released a video of the Israeli drone a few hours later, documenting the achievement, which has become a near-daily occurrence for the Brigades.

Naval assets

To the west of Gaza City, near Gaza's coast, al-Mujahideen fighters targeted an Israeli military speedboat with a locally produced rocket launcher, dubbed Saeer.

Captured Equipment

The Brigade, which played a substantial role in attacking Israeli sites in the Gaza Envelope on October 7, also published footage of several Israeli weapons. A commander said in a recorded video published on Telegram, that al-Mujahideen fighters were able to capture multiple pieces of Israeli military equipment in the past few days, as a result of direct confrontations across the Gaza Strip.

A video was then released showing two Israeli M4 A1 assault rifles and a MATADOR anti-fortification recoilless gun, as well as multiple ammunition boxes in the possession of al-Mujahideen Brigades.

Ambushes and direct confrontations

Regarding direct confrontations, fighting concentrated in Gaza City neighborhoods, Khan Younis in the south, and al-Bureij in the central Gaza Strip.

Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades

Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades announced that its fighters ambushed an Israeli infantry force to the east of al-Bureij, using rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), confirming direct hits.

Al-Quds Brigades

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) al-Quds Brigades, said that its sapper units were able to booby trap a tunnel entrance in the al-Shujaiya neighborhood, to the east of Gaza City. The fighters later detonated the planted explosives, killing and injuring members of a special Israeli force who had arrived at the scene.

An al-Quds Brigades sniper also shot down an Israeli soldier in al-Tuffah neighborhood, in Gaza City.

DFLP

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine's (DFLP) National Resistance Brigades, confirmed that its fighters were able to target an Israeli tank with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), holding a large amount of explosive material, in the Katibah area in Khan Younis, confirming a direct hit.

National Resistance fighters also fiercly engaged Israeli occupation forces to the east of al-Maghazi, which is located to the south of al-Bureij. Another group of fighters pushed back against Israeli forces into the east of Khuzaa in the district of Khan Younis, confirming casualties among the enemy's ranks.

Al-Qassam Brigades

Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades announced that their fighter targeted a total of five Israeli tanks in the al-Tuffah and al-Daraj neighborhoods in Gaza City. Fighters used locally produced explosively formed penetrators and tandem RPGs.

In the southern Gaza Strip, al-Qassam fighters targeted an armored Israeli bulldozer with an al-Yassin 105mm RPG.

Moreover, al-Qassam mortar and artillery units, as well as units from al-Mujahideen and al-Quds Brigades rained Israeli occupation positions in and outside the Gaza Strip with rockets and shells throughout the last day of 2023.