Gaza Terrorists Likely Have ‘a Few Hundred’ Rockets Left

Yaakov Lappin / JNS.org

Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, as seen from Sderot, Israel May 13, 2023 Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad

On Jan. 6, terrorists in northern Gaza fired three rockets toward Sderot, Ibim and Nir Am, one of which was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, with the other two causing damage but no injuries. The attack came after days of sirens in southern Israel, only some of which were false alarms.

These incidents underline the vastly reduced yet persistent threat posed by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), whose rocket arsenals and operational capabilities have been significantly degraded since the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2023.

At the start of the war, Hamas and PIJ reportedly held 15,000 rockets and a five-brigade, division-strong invasion force capable of seizing Israeli territory and committing massacres. Today, their remnants consist of scattered guerrilla cells with small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and explosives—as well as a handful of projectiles. Israeli assessments suggest that these groups collectively have no more than dozens of rockets left, perhaps as many as 100.

However, professor Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy in Jerusalem, believes it may be more than a handful.

“I think it’s more than dozens. I think we’re talking about a few hundred rockets. We have to remember that Hamas prepared in advance for launching very large barrages at Israel, and hence, many rockets were prepared ahead of time,” including in underground locations and in orchards, he told JNS.

Michael described the recent launches as the Gaza terrorist groups’ final performance, arguing that in the war’s aftermath they will not regain the ability to flood Israeli skies with rockets, retaining only the ability to sporadically launch a projectile.

Currently, the vast majority of the Hamas and PIJ arsenal has been destroyed, said Michael. He noted also that some of its precious few remaining rockets are being launched as IDF forces close in on them.

While Hamas retains small arms, TNT, and, potentially, the capacity for extremely restricted rocket production, “Compared to what they had in October, and even after Oct. 7, we’re talking about completely minimal capabilities,” he said.

IDF operations in northern Gaza since the ground operation there began on Oct. 27 have focused on clearing key areas such as Beit Hanoun and Jabalia of remaining Hamas elements. On Jan. 5, Israel’s Army Radio reported that rockets fired at the Erez Crossing had originated in Beit Hanoun, where the IDF’s Nahal Brigade had been operating.

A joint statement by the IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) on Jan. 5 detailed recent strikes on over 100 Hamas targets, resulting in the elimination of dozens of operatives and the destruction of rocket launch sites. These types of operations, combined with precision strikes and intelligence efforts, have diminished Hamas’s ability to operate freely in the northern Gaza Strip.

While the IDF has made substantial progress in northern Gaza, new challenges are emerging in Gaza City, south of that area, Michael said. “They will try to regroup and rebuild capabilities in areas where we are less present, and we must be vigilant,” he told JNS.

The IDF’s responses would include continuous intelligence monitoring and targeted operations, he added.

Despite their diminished arsenals, sporadic rocket fire continues, and remains a threat that must be taken seriously, he told JNS. “Even a single rocket that is not intercepted can cause damage and casualties, as we saw in Sderot,” he said.

“We need to be prepared for occasional rocket fire even after the war concludes,” he cautioned. He emphasized that intelligence and operational freedom would allow Israel to maintain pressure and respond swiftly to any renewed threats.

During a Jan. 2 call organized by the Washington D.C-based Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amikam Norkin, former commander of the Israeli Air Force, emphasized the ongoing need for military operations in Gaza, stating, “The IDF will be launching military operations against terrorists in Gaza every few weeks.”

Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, former national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated on the same call, “I think that we succeeded in neutralizing Hamas as a military terrorist organization, but still Hamas is strong inside Gaza.” Amidror suggested that neutralizing Hamas entirely would take at least a year of sustained efforts, including targeting its leadership and infrastructure.

Amidror also raised the issue of governance post-conflict, asserting, “When it will not be relevant inside Gaza, we can call a third party to come into Gaza and take control of the civilian side. Until then, no one [externally] will be ready to take responsibility.”

On Jan. 4, IDF engineering units uncovered and destroyed a Hamas tunnel in central Gaza containing manufacturing facilities for munitions and explosives. The operation underscored ongoing efforts to dismantle the group’s remaining rocket production infrastructure.

Netanyahu: Hamas has reneged on parts of ceasefire agreement

JNS Staff

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on Dec. 31, 2024. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.

Hamas has reneged on parts of the ceasefire agreement announced on Wednesday in an effort to extort last-minute concessions, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday.

“The Israeli Cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement,” according to the PMO.

Hamas Political Bureau member Ezzat al-Rishq was quoted by Channel 12 News, responding to the statement from the PMO: “Hamas is committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by the mediators.”

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism Party signaled on Thursday it would likely exit Netanyahu’s coalition over the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

A party official called the crisis “serious and real,” according to Channel 12.

Thirty-three hostages out of the 98 held by Hamas in Gaza are set to be released during the first phase of the deal. The agreement specifies that nine sick and injured captives are to be exchanged for 110 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli prisons.

Israeli forces are to gradually withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border. The withdrawal will begin on the 42nd day of the first phase, after the release of the final hostage for the phase, and is to be completed by the 50th day.

However, Channel 12 News reported on Thursday that according to a “senior government source,” Israel will not withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor in the first stage, and the second stage will not proceed unless Hamas agrees to relinquish control of Gaza.

The Rafah Crossing to Egypt will be prepared for civilian and medical evacuations immediately after the agreement is signed.

Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday night with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and thanked him for his help forging the ceasefire agreement.

“The prime minister made it clear that he is committed to returning all of the hostages however he can and commended the U.S. president-elect for his remarks that the U.S. would work with Israel to ensure that Gaza will never be a haven for terrorism,” according to a statement from Jerusalem.

Netanyahu shortly thereafter spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden and “thanked him for his assistance in advancing the hostage deal.”

18,000 terrorist attacks in Israel in 2024

update desk | Palestinian Terrorism

Security personnel at the scene of a drone attack in Tel Aviv, July 19, 2024. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.

Terrorists attacked the Jewish state no fewer than 18,000 times in 2024, killing 134 innocent people and wounding another 1,277, according to data the National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office released on Thursday.

Israeli civilians were attacked from seven fronts—Iran, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip, Iraq, Yemen and from within Israeli territory—18,365 times last year, revealed the report, which combined data from all security agencies and the country’s emergency response groups.

Some 16,400 rockets and missiles were fired into Israel, of which approximately 15,400 were launched by Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon and 700 from the Gaza Strip. October saw the most launches, with more than 6,900 attacks reported.

At the same time, terrorists sent at least 399 drones toward Israeli territory, the vast majority of which came from Lebanon.

Seventy-one people, including 14 children, were murdered in aerial assaults, and 892 more people sustained wounds. In addition, the rocket, missile and drone attacks sparked more than 600 wildfires, burning 92,417 acres managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and more than 42,749 acres of grazing land.

An additional 1,900 terrorist incidents were reported in 2024, including stone-throwing, Molotov cocktails, car rammings, shootings, stabbings and bombings. November was the quietest month, with 109 terrorist incidents reported, while July saw the most violence in Israel—37 people were murdered and another 394 were wounded that month.

The most common type of terrorist attack recorded in 2024 was stone-throwing, with 1,248 incidents reported, followed by “throwing objects, arson and tire burning” (162), attacks with Molotov cocktails (14), shootings (132) and the use of explosive devices (89).

According to the annual report published by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) on Dec. 31, Jerusalem thwarted more than 1,000 significant terrorist attacks in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem in 2024.

Most of the attacks involved firearms (689) and explosive devices (326), with others being stabbings, rammings, bombings and abductions.

The Christian Population in Palestinian Areas Is Declining

Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs

Hamas rings in 2025 with rocket fire on Israel

Update desk | Israel at War

An Iron Dome air-defense battery fires interception missiles at rockets fired from the Gaza Strip towards central Israel, as it seen from Moshav Yashresh on Nov. 7, 2023. Photo by Yossi Aloni/Flash90.

Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets at Israel just as the clock struck midnight on Thursday.

Israeli air defenses intercepted one of the rockets, with the other hitting an open field, the IDF said. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, which caused no injuries or damage.

Hamas welcomed 2024 by firing a wave of rockets towards southern and central Israel. Just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2024, more than 20 rockets were launched at Israeli population centers, sending millions of people racing for shelter.

On Monday evening, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired three rockets at southern Israel. One rocket, which triggered sirens in the Israeli border kibbutz of Kissufim, struck an open area, the military said.

Just over two hours later, the Israeli Air Force intercepted two rockets launched from the northern Strip.

There were no reports of injuries or damage in the attacks.

On Sunday, Palestinian terrorists in northern Gaza fired five rockets at Israeli communities in the “Gaza Envelope,” the area near the coastal enclave.

Two rockets were intercepted, according to the Israel Defense Forces, with the others apparently striking open areas.

A day earlier, the IAF downed two rockets launched by Palestinian terrorists in northern Gaza towards Jerusalem. The attacks triggered air-raid sirens in the capital, the Western Negev and the Judean Foothills (the Shfela).

The IDF’s year-plus-long offensive against Hamas has greatly curbed rocket fire from the Strip, although Palestinian terrorists still intermittently target the Jewish state.