Ashkelon rocket attacks

2015 Ashkelon rocket attacks
Part of Salafi jihadist insurgency in the Gaza Strip
LocationAshkelon, Hof Ashkelon
Date2 June - September of 2015 (IST, UTC +2)
Attack type
Rocket attacks
Perpetrators

The 2015 Ashkelon rocket attacks were a series of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip toward the Israeli city of Ashkelon during 2015. The attacks were primarily attributed to the Islamic State affiliated Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade (SOHB).[1][2]

Background

Main articles: Salafi jihadist insurgency in the Gaza Strip and Salafi jihadist militant groups in the Gaza Strip

The Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade was an Islamist militant group affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant that was reportedly active in the Gaza Strip around 2015.[3] SOHB seeks to reestablish the caliphate alongside the Islamic State.[4] It opposes all forms of Palestinian nationalism[5][6] while also supporting the elimination of all Jews[7][8]

Events

  • June 3, 2015 — Two separate rocket attacks were launched on Israel from Gaza, both of which failed. One landed in the Negev, while the other landed near Ashkelon.[9][10]
  • June 11, 2015 — An attempted rocket attack targeting Ashkelon was carried out from Gaza. The rocket failed to reach its target and exploded inside of the Gaza Strip instead.[11][10]
  • August 26, 2015 — Another similar rocket attack failed, with the rocket landing between a small Israeli community and the border security fence.[10][12]
  • September 18, 2015 — Two rockets were launched in an attack on southern Israeli cities. The first rocket landed in Sderot, destroying a bus and damaging a residence, though no casualties were reported. The Iron Dome system intercepted the second rocket, fired a few hours later, which was targeting Ashkelon.[13]
  • September 29, 2015 — Two separate rocket attacks aimed at Ashdod failed. Both rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome system.[14][10]
  • October 26, 2015 — A rocket attack from Gaza failed, with the rocket landing in open territory in the western Negev.[15][10]

References

  1. ^ Cohen, Gili. "Rocket fired from Gaza hits open area in south Israel". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  2. ^ "Israel Launches Airstrike on Gaza After Rocket Fire". NBC News. 2015-06-07. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  3. ^ "ISIS: We Are Operating in Gaza". Vocative: The extremist terror organization is establishing a toehold inside Gaza, despite Hamas' claims to the contrary. June 9, 2014. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  4. ^ Dyer, J.E (June 30, 2014). "Newly declared caliphate: Why it's 'ISIS' (not ISIL) – 'Iraq and al-Sham' (not Syria)". LibertyUnyielding: Many news outlets have Westernized the name of the group which has just declared a "caliphate" in the territory its name describes. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  5. ^ Beauchamp, Zack (July 2, 2015). "ISIS is threatening Hamas in Gaza". Both "the secular nationalism" of Fatah and "the Islamist nationalism of [Hamas] have run aground," Hussein Ibish, Senior Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute, explains. "So in come the anti-nationalists, who say 'no, no, that's all wrong. It's all about God, Umma, and the caliphate.'" That is ISIS's opening: Palestinians, especially the younger generation, are fed up with their current leaders and looking for something new. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  6. ^ Lamb, Franklin (June 21, 2014). "Article: Will ISIS Create al-Sham Caliphate & Liberate Palestine?". MWCNews: One need not be prescient to understand the unfolding "Jihadi Spring" is fueling the plans and perhaps destiny of ascendant Islamists in this region with the increasing help of in-country nationalists, including remnants of the Iraqi Baath Party. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  7. ^ Abu-Toameh, Khaled (July 7, 2014). "ISIS already in Gaza Strip". BreakingIsraelNews: Last month, Hamas sent its policemen and militias to disperse a rally organized by ISIS followers in the Gaza Strip to celebrate the recent "military victories" of the terrorist group in Iraq. Hamas prevented local journalists from covering the event as part of its attempt to deny the existence of ISIS in the Gaza Strip. At the rally, attended by dozens of Islamists, the crowd chanted, "Khaybar, Khyabar, Ya Yahud, Jaish Mohamed Saya'ud!" ("O Jews, Mohamed's army will return"). This is a battle cry that many Islamists like to chant to remind the Jews of the story of the battle fought in 629 CE by the Prophet Mohamed against the Jews of Khaybar, an oasis in north-western Arabia. The battle resulted in the killing of many Jews, and their women and children were taken as slaves. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  8. ^ Baskin, Gregory (August 30, 2014). "Gaza Strip: ISIS Intent on Palestine and Murder of Jews". LibertyVoice (Guardian): The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which is the organization that has quickly gained control of vast areas of Syria and Iraq using no-holds-barred tactics such as beheadings, kidnappings, and bombings, has now declared that one of its goals is "to fight the barbaric Jews and kill those of them hiding behind the gharqad trees, the trees of the Jews". Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  9. ^ "IDF Strikes Gaza After at Least Two Rockets Fired". Haaretz: Israel Air Force jets struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip early Thursday morning, after at least two rockets were fired from the Strip at southern Israel on Wednesday evening. June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Rocket fire from Gaza". MFA: Rocket fire from Gaza and ceasefire violations after Operation Cast Lead (Jan 2009). March 16, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  11. ^ "Is the Islamic State on the Rise in Gaza?". ForeignPolicy: Sirens went off in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, announcing the third barrage of rockets fired by Palestinian militants in less than two weeks. A group inspired by the Islamic State quickly claimed responsibility and promised more attacks. June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  12. ^ "Islamic State affiliate claims Wednesday's rocket attack". TimesOfIsrael: Two days after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck southern Israel, a radical jihadist group affiliated with the Islamic State on Friday claimed responsibility for the attack. August 29, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  13. ^ "Rocket sirens sound in western Negev in false alarm". TimesOfIsrael: On Friday evening, the Iron Dome intercepted a rocket fired at the southern city of Ashkelon, hours after a similar attack saw a rocket strike land in a residential area of Sderot. September 19, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  14. ^ "Israeli military strikes back in Gaza after rocket fire". UPI: Israeli fighter jets launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, reportedly in response to a rocket launched from the Palestinian territory toward Israel. September 30, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  15. ^ "Rocket from Gaza explodes in Israel near border". JPost: A rocket exploded in an open area of the Gaza border region in the South Monday evening. October 26, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.

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