Israel and the rest of the world welcomed the new year with celebrations and well-wishes on Wednesday, although festivities in the southern town of Netivot and surrounding communities were disrupted at midnight when the Palestinian terror group Hamas fired weapons. rockets from the Gaza Strip.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. The Israeli military said two rockets were launched from the center of the Gaza Strip, one of which was intercepted and the second hitting an open area.
No injuries were reported.
To not miss any of the news,
receive the Daily Headline on your email
By registering, you agree to the terms of use
This is the second year in a row that the Palestinian terrorist group has fired rockets to coincide with the new year. Last year, it fired a large number of rockets into central Israel.
But this year, the celebrations in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and most of the country took place as normally as possible, taking into account the pain caused by nearly fifteen months of war caused by the pogrom of October 7, 2023 perpetrated by the Hamas.
The bars and pubs were crowded. In Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, activists fighting for the release of 100 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza lit Hanukkah-themed candles, using the new year to call for a “truce for release” deal. hostages.”
Meanwhile, in Deir el-Balah, where many displaced Palestinians live in overcrowded tents due to the war triggered by the Hamas pogrom, AFP spoke to Wafaa Hajjaj.
“Let security return and the war finally ends,” said this resident.
You are one of our loyal readers
We are glad you read X articles from Times of Israël last month.
This is why we created the Times of Israeleleven years ago (nine years for the French version): offering informed readers like you unique information on Israel and the Jewish world.
Today we have a favor to ask you. Unlike other media outlets, our website is accessible to everyone. But the journalism work we do comes at a price, so we ask readers who care about our work to support us by joining the ToI community.
With the amount of your choice, you can help us provide quality journalism while benefiting from reading the Times of Israël without advertisements.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, editor-in-chief and founder of The Times of Israel
Join the Times of Israel community Join the Times of Israel community Already a member? Log in to no longer see this message
Belgium
