Raid kills commander al-Jabari in Gaza. One hundred rockets against Israel
After days of high tension, Israel took action: the ‘Breaking Dawn’ operation against Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip was launched. The fighters bombed several targets in the Palestinian enclave, killing Tayseer al-Jabari, commander of the Pji in the north of the Strip.
In the evening, the Jihad response with rockets fired at Israel. The Israeli army tweeted: “In just 2 hours tonight 71 rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel. 9 of these rockets landed inside the Gaza Strip. The terrorist rockets threaten innocent civilians, both Israeli and Gaza. “
The tension had been very high for days for fear of an escalation after the arrest in Jenin of the commander of the Pji in the West Bank Bassam al-Saadi. As a precaution since Tuesday, Israel closed the roads around the Palestinian enclave and imposed travel restrictions. Then he chose to strike: for the Jewish state, al-Jabari held “important positions in the organization” and “was in charge of coordination with Hamas”; he is also believed to have been “carrying out plans for anti-tank guided missile attacks on Israeli citizens and soldiers in recent days” along the Gaza border.
Besides him, Hamas Ministry of Health reported, at least 7 other people have died so far, including a five-year-old girl, and over 40 were injured. From Tehran, where he is visiting, the secretary general of Islamic Jihad, Ziad al-Nakhala, assured revenge: “I promise the Palestinians that Tel Aviv will be hit by resistance missiles”. “This is a day destined for victory and the enemy must understand that it will be a war without surrender. The resistance fighters must stick together, we have no red lines”. “Let’s go into battle, there is no ceasefire after an attack”, added al-Nakhala, concluding with a call for unity, noting that “this is a test for all resistance groups”.
Hamas, which governs the Strip and is by far the largest group compared to Pij, he expressed his condolences for the death of al-Jabari and the other militiamen: “The blood of our people and of the resistance is not shed in vain”, assured the Islamic Movement. The president of the Palestinian National Authority, Abu Mazen, also made a voice from Ramallah, who condemned the Israeli aggression against Gaza, holding the Jewish state responsible for this dangerous escalation, and urged the international community to press for end.
The Israeli authorities have deployed additional batteries of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system in the center of the country for fear of rocket launches from the Strip, they recalled 25,000 reservists, moved elite brigades – such as Golani – to the border with Gaza and firefighters in southern communities, while Tel Aviv is ready to open shelters. “Special instructions” came into effect within a radius of 80 kilometers from the Palestinian enclave and the route of planes arriving and departing from Ben Gurion airport was diverted to the north.
According to the press, Israel has made it known to Egypt – for days engaged in mediation work to avoid escalation after the arrest of al-Saadi – to aim for a limited military operation focused on Pjilike the one that in November 2019 led to the killing of Baha Abu al-Ata, al-Jabari’s predecessor, followed by three days of violence.
“The Israeli government will not allow terrorist organizations to set the agenda in cities near the Gaza Strip and threaten citizens,” Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz underlined in a joint statement. The Defense expects the launch of missiles from the Palestinian enclave and the operation, a senior official warned, “will take some time”.
The Israeli army’s “Breaking Dawn” operation “targeted weapons and military development facilities belonging to the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization” and “Israeli fighter jets hit a site used by the terrorist organization for manufacturing of rockets “. This was announced by the Israeli armed forces.
In addition, the Israeli army “targeted a weapons production site and a military post belonging to the terrorist organization of Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip”. “The attacks on these sites – concludes the statement – significantly affect the ability of the terrorist organization to develop its military capabilities”.
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