In an interview with The Jerusalem Post former head of Military Intelligence's Research Department, Yaakov Amidror revealed that the Iron Dome defence system wasn't able to intercept all the missiles launched from Gaza due to a number of reasons.
According to him, one of the key problems was that some of the rockets were launched from very close range, giving the Iron Dome next to no time to react and intercept them. He added that in general the rockets launched from the Gaza Strip are not unique and are "within the capabilities of the Iron Dome".
Lack of time was not the only reason for Iron Dome's failure to intercept some of the missiles. The peculiarities of the Iron Dome's design make it ignore the projectiles aimed at areas deemed empty or uninhabited by the system, the military expert said. This was the case with a car, which was destroyed in the Yad Mordechai community near the Gaza border.
"From the point of view of the system, this was an open area without people. We don't intercept such rockets", Yaakov Amidror said.
A barrage of missiles coming from the territory of the Gaza Strip started hitting Israel early on 4 May. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) reported that 690 rockets have been fired over the course of 48 hours. The Iron Dome intercepted 240 of them, while some still made it through the defences, killing four Israeli civilians.
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In response to the attack, the IDF conducted strikes on Hamas and Islamic Jihad infrastructure in Gaza, hitting 350 targets over the course of 48 hours. The Israeli military reported destroying Hamas' headquarters for planning operations, weapon manufacturing factories, ammo depots, and rocket launch sites.
