ByANNA AHRONHEIM
As the truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect after 11 days of deadly fighting, the IDF had dozens of planes and unmanned aerial vehicles in the sky over Gaza “ready to attack” should rockets be fired, said IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Hidai Zilberman.
“We wanted to ensure that there would be no significant barrage by Hamas,” he said, adding that “we conveyed the message that if there is a significant barrage, we will attack.”

About 40 rockets were fired before the ceasefire came into effect with 90% of them falling in open areas and the others intercepted.

There have been no rockets fired since 2 a.m. and the IDF will do a situational assessment in the coming hours to decide whether or not to remove all restrictions on the home front.

According to Zilberman, the majority of troops who were deployed to reinforce the southern Command are still there.

Over the close to two weeks of fighting, the IDF destroyed over 100 km of Hamas’s tunnel network during multiple strikes in Gaza City, Khan Yunis and Rimal. The IDF also focused on destroying the groups’ rocket launching abilities, with some 570 airstrikes targeting rockets and their launchers. Of that, 340 strikes targeted rocket launching infrastructure such as launch pits and 230 ground-to-ground rockets and 70 multi-barrel rocket launchers. Another 35 strikes target mortars.

 

Zilberman said that the military also severely damaged  Hamas’s ability to develop and produce weapons, destroying workshops and research centers, some of which were designed to upgrade their weaponry.

The IDF also struck several buildings that they claim held military assets of Hamas including 10 government offices, 11 internal security targets and five banks that manage terror funds. Dozens of command rooms, some of which the IDF says were in high rise buildings, were also destroyed.

The military also assassinated 25 senior officials and some 200 operatives belonging to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
 

“We did everything possible during the campaign to make sure that people who should not be alive will not stay alive,” Zilberman said.

Over 4,300 rockets were fired at Israel during the fighting, 90% of which Zilberman claimed were intercepted by the Iron Dome and hundreds others falling short and landing inside the coastal enclave. Magen David Adom reported that 12 people in Israel have died since the beginning of the fighting and over 335 were injured.