Snip from Ha'aretz article:
Israel Air Force warplanes break the sound barrier over the Gaza Strip in order to confuse terrorists, the state told the High Court of Justice on Sunday.
The sonic booms are intended to "disrupt terror activities, engender fear among terrorists planning to attempt to fire rockets, deceive, create disinformation and a sense of threat and confusion among terrorists concerning the extent of IDF operations – their nature and specific locations," the state prosecutor said in response to a petition filed against the sonic booms by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and the Gaza Community Mental Health Program two weeks ago.
IAF warplanes set off sonic booms over Gaza at all hours of the day and night, though they refrain from supersonic flights over Israel. The head of the Gaza group, Dr. Eyad Sarraj, a psychiatrist, wrote in a medical opinion that the sonic booms have serious effects on Gaza children, including anxiety, panic, fear, poor concentration and low academic success, according to a statement. He also said that the number of miscarriages increases during periods of frequent sonic booms.
Link (via Defensetech, Thanks Noah Schachtman)
