Israel’s “Operation Pillar of Defense” came to a close Wednesday night after Jerusalem and Hamas officially reached a ceasefire through Egyptian mediation. The more than one week of fighting saw Gaza fire 1,500 rockets at Israel, ultimately killing six Israelis, four of whom were civilians. The IDF, meanwhile, bombed 1,500 targets in Gaza. These ranged from the opening salvo that assassinated the head of the Hamas military wing, to a number of rockets and rocket launchers destroyed while still on the ground.
To recap the past week’s intense fighting, The Mideast Update spoke with IDF Spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich on Thursday afternoon Israeli time. She discussed the IDF’s achievements, the rocket attacks on Israel and more.
[Note: The sixth Israeli to perish in the conflict, Boris Yarmolnik, died of his injuries on Thursday and was therefore not mentioned in the discussion on the tragic casualties of the conflict]
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