The IDF estimates that the two rockets launched by Hamas into metropolitan Tel Aviv was made in error, and Hamas did not intend to carry out an attack. The IDF believes the launch was triggered by the system’s operators during routine maintenance.
According to Haaretz, the IDF opted to ignore its own estimates in its reaction to the Gaza attack on Tel Aviv and retaliated despite the assessments.
An initial investigation revealed that the two Iran-made Fajr rockets were launched during a meeting of Hamas officials and the visiting Egyptian mediation team, which suggests that the last thing Hamas wanted at that point was provoking Israel.
It is possible that the political echelon felt they could not ignore the launch against Israel’s most dense population area, regardless of the enemy’s intent.