The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), initiated the new year in its first moments by announcing the shelling of Tel Aviv, its suburbs, and the Gaza envelope with a volley of rockets.
The Qassam Brigades stated they targeted Tel Aviv and its suburbs with M-90 type rockets in response to "the Zionist massacres against Palestinian civilians," and published a video clip of the rocket launch.
Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" reported that Israel welcomed the new year with a barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip. Israeli media also mentioned that around 20 rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip towards central Israel.
Al-Qassam broadcasts footage of missile volleys towards Tel Aviv in the first minute of the new year #Gaza_War #News
— Al Jazeera Channel (@AJArabic) December 31, 2023
According to the Israeli army radio, air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv, Rishon LeZion, Lod, Ramla, Bnei Brak, and the Modi'in settlement in the center of the West Bank. Alert sirens also blared in the town of Sderot and other areas in the Gaza envelope.
Commenting on the Qassam rocket volley, military affairs expert Major General Wasif Erekat told Al Jazeera that targeting Tel Aviv at this timing sends a message from the Qassam Brigades to the occupation.
He added that the resistance "just as it excelled in choosing the time for the Battle of the Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023, has renewed the defeat of the occupation from 2023 into 2024, delivering a qualitative escalation of defeat and relaying to the Israeli leadership: just as we defeated you in 2023, here we are opening the year with another defeat."
