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Sirens blared in Jerusalem on Sunday morning for the first time in more than a year as Palestinian Islamic Jihad continued firing rockets from the Gaza Strip.
According to the IDF, more than 580 rockets have been launched from within the coastal enclave since the start of Operation Breaking Dawn on Friday, which started in response to threats from the terror group. Approximately 450 to 470 of these projectiles fell in Israel, while 120 came down within the Strip.
The Iron Dome missile defense system has intercepted 200 missiles, with an interception rate of 97 percent. Rocket sirens were heard in Tel Aviv and central cities of Rishon Lezion and Holon, as well as across southern Israel.
The Israeli military has sought to take out numerous important figures within the PIJ, including senior leaders and anti-tank missile operatives.
So far, a total of 10 rocket launch sites have been destroyed, in addition to six military sites and eight terror cells. The Israeli Air Force also destroyed a tunnel in Gaza that was snaking close to the Israeli border.
IDF Operations Directorate Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk announced that the “entire security echelon of [Palestinian] Islamic Jihad has been eliminated” during the strikes.
PIJ also confirmed that one of its senior commanders had been killed. “The Al-Quds Brigades [Jerusalem Brigades] mourns the leader Khaled Mansour, member of the security council and the commander of the southern region [of the Gaza Strip] who was martyred as a result of an Israeli air strike yesterday [Saturday],” the terrorist organization said in a statement.
Speaking about the operation, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said: Israel’s “fight is not with the people of Gaza,” but with “Iranian proxy” PIJ, which seeks to murder Israelis, adding: “A word for the international media: Israel carried out a precise counter-terror operation against an immediate threat.”
This is radar tracking of the barrage of rockets fired by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in Gaza last night.
This shows the site where the rocket landed—a place where Palestinian civilians, including children, were killed by a misfired rocket. pic.twitter.com/asBh1Whyht
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 7, 2022
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The United States and the United Kingdom affirmed Israel’s right to protect its citizens from Gaza rockets, as the United Nations Security Council prepared to meet Monday to discuss the escalation in cross-border violence between the IDF and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Washington on Saturday said it stood with Israel, with a State Department spokesman explaining that the Biden administration “fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself.” The spokesperson cautioned, however, “We are urging all sides to avoid further escalation.”
Similarly, the European Union spokesperson called for “maximum restraint” to avoid further escalation and further casualties.
US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-NJ) said on Saturday that “Israel has every right to self-defense from Iranian-backed terrorists committed to annihilating the State of Israel, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ),”
He explained that “the malicious ideologies attacking Israel undermine US interests in the region and demand our constant vigilance.”
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Hamas will decide whether Operation Breaking Dawn results in an all-out war, a senior Israeli official said.
At present, Gaza’s ruling terrorist organization has refrained from joining forces with its allies, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has so far launched hundreds of rockets at Israel.
Although Hamas has blamed Jerusalem for the latest escalation, Israeli security officials believe the group will shy away from a major confrontation with the Jewish state because it “can only lose” in such a situation.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz issued a warning to both Gaza-based terror groups on Friday: “To our enemies, and specifically to the leadership of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, I would like to emphasize: your time is up.”
“The threat you pose to this region will be removed one way or another,” Gantz added.
The last all-out conflict between Israel and Hamas was in May 2021, when the group fired thousands of rockets at Israeli towns and cities.
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The Israeli army announced the arrest of 20 Palestinians affiliated with the Islamic Jihad terrorist group and suspected of being involved in terrorist activities, during raids overnight from Saturday to Sunday in the West Bank, amid escalating violence in the Gaza Strip.
The operations were carried out by agents of the Shin Bet internal security service and the Border Police.
In a statement, the Israeli army said the arrests took place in the city of Jenin, the Tulkarem refugee camp and other towns in the West Bank.
The Israel Defense Forces added that its troops were confronted by dozens of Palestinians who threw rocks and explosive devices at them. The soldiers responded with riot control means and succeeded in dispersing the demonstrators.
All suspects were transferred to security forces for questioning. No injuries were reported in the Israeli ranks.
Recommended Reading
- On Tisha B’Av, the Long Road of Memory (Ari Berman, Times of Israel)
- Is There a Difference Between Accusation Against Israel and Criticism of Israeli Policy? (Uri Pilchowski, Jerusalem Post)
- Palestinian Authority Recruits and Trains Hundreds of Child Terrorists (Maurice Hirsch, Algemeiner)
- Decades After Serving, Jewish Lieutenant Receives World War II War Medals (Faygie Holt/Jewish News Syndicate, Israel Hayom)
- Life-Changing App Lets Deaf People Join the Conversation (Ariel Grossman, NoCamels)
