The Quds Force, the military arm associated with Islamic Jihad, declared that it carried out rocket strikes against southern Israeli towns including Ashkelon and Sderot, as well as the Kibbutz Zikim area. This assertion appeared in reports from media outlets such as RIA News. The group described the bombardment as a coordinated salvo of rockets aimed at multiple population centers, signaling a direct and ongoing escalation in the cross-border fighting that has defined the region in recent days.
In a separate briefing, the Islamic Jihad military wing explained that the bombardment of these cities occurred in organized rocket salvoes, emphasizing the scale and precision of the attack. The statements underscore the role of militant groups in the broader conflict and their willingness to target urban areas in Israel.
On October 14, the Israeli Defense Forces highlighted the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in operations against militants from Hamas near the Gaza Strip. According to the IDF, drones were employed to strike militants who unleashed anti-tank missiles toward a zone adjacent to Gaza, illustrating the continuing exchanges along the Gaza frontier and the use of air assets in counter-militant actions.
Earlier, retired Royal Air Force Vice-Marshal Sean Bell commented on the practical limits of a ground campaign against Hamas, noting that some militants wear military uniforms while others do not, which complicates efforts to distinguish combatants from civilians in any potential ground operation. This assessment reflected broader debates among security analysts about the feasibility and risks of large-scale ground incursions in densely populated areas.
Beginning on October 7, reports describe a dramatic escalation as Hamas forces fired thousands of rockets into Israel and announced the start of a broader operation named Al-Aqsa Flood. The statement signaled a large-scale assault that included the infiltration of Israeli territory, the seizure of military equipment, and the taking of hostages. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the nation was at war, setting the stage for a multi-faceted military and political reaction.
In the ensuing military campaign, the Israel Defense Forces launched an intervention operation described under the code name Iron Swords. One of its stated objectives was the degradation of Hamas capabilities in Gaza. The Israeli Air Force conducted extensive strikes on hundreds of Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip, as part of a broader plan to neutralize militant infrastructure and military assets. Simultaneously, Israel’s National Security Council decided to restrict the movement of essential resources into Gaza, severing supplies of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the enclave in an effort to pressure Hamas and degrade its operational capacity.
By October 13, international institutions were calling for the evacuation of Palestinian civilians from certain areas in Gaza as the conflict intensified. The United Nations signaled that approximately 1.1 million Palestinians might need to relocate to southern Gaza within a 24-hour period should a ground offensive proceed, highlighting the dire humanitarian consequences closely linked to the military developments. The situation on the ground remained highly volatile, with ongoing exchanges between Israeli forces and various militant groups operating from Gaza and the surrounding region.
Public statements from Israeli leadership around this period described the scale of the campaign as unprecedented. Netanyahu asserted that Israel had launched a massive, uncompromising operation to confront the threat posed by Hamas, framing the actions as a decisive response to the security crisis. Observers noted the dual pressures of counterterrorism objectives and the humanitarian implications for civilians living in affected areas, as the conflict drew in multiple actors and broad regional angles.
Overall, the sequence of rocket attacks, drone-based countermeasures, large-scale military operations, and international humanitarian considerations illustrates a rapid and multifaceted escalation in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As both sides prepared for further actions, regional and international players continued to monitor developments, weighing security, political, and humanitarian factors in an environment of heightened volatility and uncertainty. Attribution for various statements and claims continues to come from a mix of militant groups, official government sources, and international observers, each framing the events through its own lens and strategic priorities.