Israeli army intercepts rocket fired from Gaza on day 147 of onslaught

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army intercepted at least one rocket fired from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel, media reports said Friday.

The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said the rocket triggered the activation of rocket in-coming sirens in the Zikim area in southern Ashkelon.

The incident occurred on day 147 of the devastating Israeli onslaught against Gaza, despite Tel Aviv’s claims that it is achieving "military victories" against Palestinian groups.

The Islamic Jihad group said earlier that it fired a barrage of rockets toward Ashkelon and settlements around Gaza.

Eliminating rocket capabilities by Palestinian groups was one of the main goals set by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the course of the onslaught against Gaza as of Oct. 7.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on Gaza following an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed more than 30,200 and injured over 70,400 with mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara