Iron Dome (illustration)
Iron Dome (illustration)Flash 90

In an on-again off-again pattern of nighttime rocket attacks targeting Israel's major cities, terrorists in the Hamas stronghold of Gaza launched a salvo of several rockets Sunday night towards the Jerusalem area.

"Color red" rocket sirens were heard in Beit Shemesh and several communities in the Jerusalem Hills, including Abu Gosh and Nave Ilan, as well as communities adjacent to Jerusalem such as Ora, Aminadav and Tzur Hadassah.

At least one rocket reportedly was shot down by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system in the Jerusalem Hills region. Residents of Jerusalem report hearing several loud booms from the distance, indicating that the attack consisted of several missiles.

Hamas's rocket war has been continuing at full intensity, with figures on Sunday indicating over 570 rockets have been fired over the past five days; over 100 rockets were fired on Sunday alone.

In the early afternoon a salvo of roughly 13 mortar shells was fired according to Hamas, wounding five Israelis, two of them critically.

The random rocket attacks have inflicted a painful toll; last Friday four year-old Daniel Tragerman hy"d was murdered by mortar fire on Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

For its part the IDF has been focusing on targeted strikes, assassinating Hamas finance chief Mohammed al-Ghoul on Sunday in an airstrike on his car.

Just last Wednesday night three senior Hamas "military wing" Al-Qassam Brigades leaders were eliminated in an airstrike; that Tuesday night Al-Qassam Brigades chief Mohammed Deif was targeted in a strike that took out his wife and two children. There are conflicting reports as to whether Deif was killed in the strike or survived.