September 20, 2025 – The Israeli military said on Saturday that two projectiles were launched from northern Gaza, triggering sirens in the southern Israeli regions of Lakhish and Ashdod.
According to a statement published on the military Telegram channel, one projectile was intercepted by air defences while the second landed in an open area. No injuries or damage were reported.
The incident comes nearly a year into Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, raising questions about the effectiveness of Israel’s campaign to dismantle Hamas.
Despite months of bombardment and ground operations that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, analysts say Hamas remains capable of mounting attacks.
Mohamad Elmasry, professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera that the recent rocket fire underlined the group’s resilience.
“I think Hamas is trying to send a message that they are still … going strong,” Elmasry said. “It wouldn’t surprise me that in terms of a fighting force … a membership base, that they are almost as strong as they were at the start of the war.”
He added that the brunt of Israel’s military campaign has fallen on Gaza’s civilians, with the vast majority of casualties being women, children, and non-combatant men.
The rocket launches are the latest in a series of incidents underscoring Israel’s struggle to achieve its stated goal of eliminating Hamas. While Israeli officials insist the group’s infrastructure has been severely degraded, periodic rocket fire suggests that Hamas retains both the capability and the will to resist.
The war has left Gaza in ruins, with a collapsing health system, widespread hunger, and mass displacement. Yet, as analysts note, Israel’s military pressure appears to have done little to weaken Hamas’s political standing among Palestinians or its operational capacity on the battlefield.
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