BICOM

A bomb exploded on a bus in central Tel Aviv yesterday, injuring 30 people, two with moderate to serious injuries. Suspected perpetrators were seen fleeing from the scene shortly after the attack. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack though Hamas praised it in mosques throughout Gaza. The final day of fighting did not see any let up in Palestinian rocket fire or Israeli airstrikes. In total, 130 rockets landed in Israel on Wednesday, including 20 after the 9pm ceasefire deadline. The IDF targeted over 50 sites during the day, including underground rocket launchers, smuggling tunnels and several buildings that belong to senior Hamas operatives and serve as command and control centres. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad squads that were involved launching rockets at Israel, were also targeted.

According to the IDF, throughout Operation Pillar of Defence 933 rockets were fired out of the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory; 54 landed in built-up areas and 420 rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. Reports estimate that each Iron Dome interception cost $50,000, bringing its total cost in this operation to NIS100m. IDF operations included six targeted killing against top Hamas figures and 1,600 targeted airstrikes – 980 of which were against embedded rocket launchers, 200 targeted tunnels for smuggling arms and 25 were directed at weapons factories. Five Israelis were killed and 114 injured. One hundred and fifty-two Palestinians were killed, 64 of whom were civilians, with 1,400 Palestinians were injured.

Elsewhere, a bus came under gunfire in the Gush Etzion settlement block, and overnight the IDF performed an extensive operation in the West Bank arresting a total of 55 people known to be involved with armed groups.