How does Israel's Iron Dome missile shield work?
The Iron Dome, one of the world's most sophisticated defence systems, uses radar to detect and disrupt airborne threats before they can do damage.
In the last five days, Hamas and other Palestinian militant factions have launched over 2,000 missiles at Israel however, according to the Israeli military, approximately 90% of the missiles were intercepted by its flagship Iron Dome missile defence system.
The Iron Dome was created to defend against a variety of inbound short-range attacks, reports the BBC.
The system stems from Israel's 2006 war with Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah, during which thousands of rockets were fired into Israel, causing massive destruction, mass evacuations, and hundreds of deaths.
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Following that, Israel announced the creation of a new missile defence shield.
The Iron Dome was developed by Israeli companies Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries with some US assistance and it became operational in 2011.
The Iron Dome, one of the world's most sophisticated defence systems, uses radar to detect and disrupt airborne threats before they can do damage.
Hamas' arsenal's strengths and weaknesses
The all-weather device was created specifically to counter shorter-range primitive missiles like Gaza's rockets.
The Iron Dome was costly to build, but its makers claim it is cost-effective due to the technologies it used to distinguish between missiles that are likely to strike populated areas and those that aren't. Interceptor missiles are only launched by static and mobile units to shoot down anything deemed dangerous.
After a decade of service, Israel now has ten Iron Dome batteries spread throughout the world, each with three to four launchers capable of firing 20 interceptor missiles.
"The number of Israelis killed and wounded would be far higher if it had not been for the Iron Dome system, which has been a lifesaver as it always is," Israeli military spokesman Lt Col Jonathan Conricus said this week.
But some analysts say the intensity of recent barrages from Gaza suggests militant groups are attempting to overwhelm the Iron Dome - raising concerns about the system's possible limitations.
