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A three-day conflict between Israel and Islamic Jihad ended at 11:30pm (local) on Sunday night, as an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire took effect. Over the weekend, the Iran-backed terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired as many as 1,100 rockets from Gaza towards Israel in just three days as Israel undertook 170 targeted strikes against the groups’ terror infrastructure and key personnel – the worst violence in the region since May 2021.
Islamic Jihad began firing rockets on Friday afternoon, shortly after the Israel Defense Forces killed senior commander Tayseer Jabari (Northern Gaza Division Commander) in a targeted strike due to his reported involvement in an “imminent” attack on Israel. At the same time, Israeli forces targeted several terror squads reportedly en-route to commit an attack on Israel. Much of southern Israel had been under lockdown conditions last week in the wake of repeat Islamic Jihad threats to retaliate for the arrest by Israel of its West Bank leader, Bassem Saadi. Roads and train lines had been closed in much of the country’s south for fear of attacks on Israeli civilians by the terror group.
Islamic Jihad has recently been making concerted efforts to establish a stronger foothold in the West Bank and its terrorists had been linked to several deadly terror attacks in Israel earlier this year which left 17 Israelis and 2 Ukrainians dead. The group is seen to have taken over the West Bank city of Jenin, where the Palestinian Authority has lost effective control.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss asserted on Saturday that “the UK stands by Israel, and its right to defend itself. We condemn terrorist groups firing at civilians and violence which has resulted in casualties on both sides”.
Israel’s Iron Dome Missile defence system intercepted 380 rockets which were due to hit populated areas (96% success rate). While Islamic Jihad’s arsenal and capabilities aren’t as advanced as Hamas’s, it was still able to fire rockets as far as the outskirts of Israel’s capital Jerusalem and Tel Aviv (approx. 50 miles from Gaza) as rocket sirens meant Israelis in much of central and southern Israel spent the weekend in bomb shelters.
Around 200 Islamic Jihad rockets fell short in Gaza harming Palestinians and were responsible for at least 12 of the 15 children killed in the fighting, according to IDF officials. IDF Spokesman Ran Kochav stated that Islamic Jihad’s rocket fire killed more Palestinian civilians (16) than those killed in Israeli strikes (11).
Hamas did not engage militarily with the round of violence, but it is understood the group gave a green light to Islamic Jihad for its operations. Throughout the operation, Israel made clear it would avoid targeting civilians, as well as Hamas members and assets.
Israel released footage on Sunday of one failed rocket launch striking the Jabaliya refugee camp. The IDF also released radar tracking of Islamic Jihad rocket fire at the time of the incident on Saturday night showing the failed launch, and confirming that Israel had not conducted any airstrikes in the northern Gaza Strip for over two hours before the Islamic Jihad rocket launches.
The operation, named ‘Breaking Dawn’ by the IDF, saw Israel strike 170 Islamic Jihad targets, including a terror attack tunnel, military infrastructure, ten rocket launch sites and weapons storage. Islamic Jihad Commander of the Southern Gaza Division, Khlaed Mansour was also killed – reportedly regarded by Israel as the second most wanted person in Gaza after Hamas military commander Muhammad Deif. The group has confirmed that another 12 of its fighters were killed, while Hamas said two of its fighters had been killed and another fighter from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine was also killed.
Israel’s military has reported that 51 people were killed in Gaza during the round of fighting, 24 of them from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, while 16 civilians were killed by Islamic Jihad rocket fire and a further 11 civilians were killed in Israeli strikes. The IDF said it would investigate the deaths of at least 11 uninvolved civilians killed in its airstrikes, including Mansour’s wife and the wife of another commander, who were in an apartment in southern Gaza during the airstrikes.
Reports indicate 47 Israelis were hospitalised, only three of which were injured by shrapnel. No Israeli fatalities have been recorded from the attacks. One Rocket directly hit a home in the Eshkol region in Southern Israel, but the family remained safe in a bomb shelter.
Following the fighting, IDF officials claimed to have inflicted “significant damage” to Islamic Jihad’s abilities, but it was “not absolute,” and the terror group still has thousands of rockets ready to fire.
Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ziyad al-Nakhalah – based in Damascus – was in Iran at the time of Israel launching Operation Breaking Dawn, where he met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iran is the principle backer of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, providing arms, training and an estimated £58m a year.
Footage has been released of multiple occasions where Israel delayed or aborted strikes against Islamic Jihad targets due to the proximity of civilians.
Unlike last year, the PIJ did not persuade Hamas to also join the fighting and the violence did not spread into the West Bank or East Jerusalem. It is understood that Hamas is not currently ready for another clash following the last conflict in May 2021, as it has yet to replenish its rocket capacity or sufficiently reconstruct its underground tunnel network.
Welcoming the ceasefire, Head of Israel’s National Public Diplomacy Directorate, Lior Haiat said: “The State of Israel thanks the Egyptians for their efforts. If the ceasefire is violated, the State of Israel reserves the right to respond forcefully. We will not allow anyone to violate the day-to-day lives of the State of Israel’s residents.”
The Erez people crossing which facilitates 14,000 Gazans with permits to enter Israel and work reopened today, alongside the Kerem Shalom humanitarian goods crossing.
