PLEASE SEE UPDATE AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE
At least 6 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards southern Israel very early Monday morning, June 24. Two of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. The other rockets landed without causing any injuries. The areas that were hit include Rahat, in the Bnei Shimon Regional Council, Be’er Sheva and the Lachish Regional Council. Three more rockets were fired toward the Ashkelon area.
The rocket fire followed a surprise drill run by the Israel Defense Forces on Sunday.
Within a short time after the rockets began landing in Southern Israel, there were those on the social media, Twitter, claiming that “Gaza was under attack.” That’s right, Israel is being shelled by Gaza, and the pro-Arab Palestinian propaganda machine immediately began pumping out claims that Israel was attacking Gaza.
In the space of half an hour, dozens of twitter reports in several different languages were announcing that Israel was attacking various points in the Gaza Strip, even naming cities being hit – Khan Younis, Rafah City. There were reports of Israeli gunboats firing on Gaza from the Mediterranean and Israeli f-16s firing across the strip, but there were no rockets or attacks from Israel, the rockets were coming from Gaza, towards Israel.
Israel may always be better prepared militarily than its enemies, and it will always have history and law on its side, but watching the Twitter feed fill with lies based on absolutely nothing other than a sociopathological raw hatred was more than a little alarming. How is it possible to defeat hatred that spawns lies in complete contradiction of the truth, and that is so easily gobbled up and spewed forth endlessly?
UPDATE: Long after claims of Israeli “first strikes” were ricocheting through the Twittersphere, it was reported that Israel, in response to the six rockets that were fired from Gaza into Israel, struck back and hit two arms depots at the center of the Gaza Strip and a rocket launching site in the southern part of the Gaza Strip overnight. Unlike the claims made for hours by supporters of those who struck first at Israel, Gaza was not “under attack.”