Hamas terrorists carried out two instances of rocket fire at Eilat and Aqaba in the past year, according to the Center for Intelligence Heritage (CIH).
According to CIH, while Hamas did not take responsibility for either attack, and even denied carrying out the second one, its “Izzedine el-Kassam Brigades” are the ones who fired the rockets. CIH bases its determination on Egyptian and Palestinian Authority sources.
Six 122 mm rockets were fired from within the Sinai desert toward Eilat on August 2. Three of them fell within the municipal area of Eilat – one in a sewage treatment pool in the city's north. No one was hurt from these three rockets.
Two additional rockets hit Aqaba, exploding in front of the Intercontinental Hotel. A Jordanian citizen was killed and five were wounded, one seriously. A sixth rocket fell into the sea.
Earlier this year, on April 22, three Grad 122 mm rockets were fired from Sinai at Eilat and Aqaba. One fell into the sea, south of Eilat. A second hit Aqaba, and remains of a third were discovered by divers 70 meters south of Eilat's Princess Beach, at a depth of 30 meters.
The rockets were Iranian-made, CIH estimates. These rockets are smuggled into Gaza through tunnels between Sinai and Gaza. Egyptian sources quickly blamed Iran and Hamas for the attacks.