The armed confrontation between Israel and Islamic Jihad in Gaza continues with great intensity, which began yesterday, after days of high tension, with the killing of a military leader of the Islamic faction. According to Israeli military spokesman Ran Cochav it is foreseeable that the ‘Breaking Dawn’ operation will continue for at least another week. From Gaza, the military radio reported, more than 160 rockets have been fired towards Israel so far. Of them, 30 fell within the Strip, while 130 crossed the border: sixty were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system (“which recorded a 95% success rate”) and another 30 ended up in the sea. . The rest fell into open areas. In the same hours, Israel carried out 30 attacks in Gaza, hitting 40 targets, “all of Islamic Jihad”, according to the military radio. Medical sources in Gaza report that so far there have been 11 deaths (including a five-year-old girl and two civilians) and over 80 injured. According to military radio, Hamas does not actively participate in the fighting so far. Meanwhile, alarm sirens sound relentlessly in southern Israel, in the area close to the Gaza Strip. According to military radio, Jihad fires not only rockets but also mortar rounds at Israeli villages near the border. A stable was hit and one person was smeared.
The Gaza power plant has ceased operations. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Maan, according to which the immediate cause is the lack of diesel. Yesterday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz authorized six trucks of fuel to enter Gaza. But as they were about to pass through the Kerem Shalom crossing – which had been closed for four days and would only be open for them – the air force took action, killing a military leader of Islamic Jihad in Gaza City. The crossing was immediately closed and apparently the trucks remained on the Israeli side.
Israeli forces expanded their offensive against Islamic Jihad, announcing the arrest of 19 members of the group in the West Bank as they launched further attacks on militant targets in Gaza. The Israeli army reported in a statement that soldiers and agents of the Shin Bet domestic security agency arrested 20 people in morning raids in the occupied West Bank, “of which 19 are agents associated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.”
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz authorized the recall of 25,000 soldiers from the reserve. This was announced by commercial television Kan. Their framing, the broadcaster noted, will take several days during which it will be possible for Israel to verify whether the crisis with Gaza can still be contained, or whether it is destined to spread.
Abu Mazen’s presidency condemned “the Israeli aggression against the people in the Gaza Strip” and called for “an immediate end”. The Wafa agency reports that the Israeli “occupation forces” are “responsible for this dangerous escalation”. Abu Mazen’s presidency called on the international community “to force Israel to stop the aggression”.
Israeli army launches ‘Breaking dawn’ operation in Gaza
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IRON DOME ACTIVATED
The Israeli army has called the operation launched in Gaza against Palestinian Islamic Jihad ‘Breaking Dawn’, which means ‘the arrival of a new day’. The military spokesman said this, adding that “a special alert” was declared on the country’s home front. The Iron Dome, the missile defense system, has been deployed to cover up to 80 kilometers inside Israel, including Tel Aviv and Modin.
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Israeli army launches ‘Breaking dawn’ operation in Gaza
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TEL AVIV IN THE SIGHT
“Tel Aviv and all the other Israeli cities are in our sights”: said the political leader of Islamic Jihad Ziad Nahaleh, quoted by Israeli public radio. “In this campaign we do not place any red lines. Tel Aviv will be our goal. We will hit all the cities of the occupiers. In the next few hours they will see our reaction. “According to Nahaleh, all Palestinian armed factions must join in this effort. The broadcaster noted that Nahaleh, which normally operates from Beirut, was on an official visit to Tehran two days ago.
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Israeli army launches ‘Breaking dawn’ operation in Gaza
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IN CORSO BREAKING DAWN
Israel is hitting targets in the Gaza Strip. The military spokesman reported. In the Israeli rear, the state of alert has been raised. More details will be provided later, the spokesperson added. “The situation in southern Israel is tense. We are not looking for a conflict, but we will not hesitate to defend our citizens, if necessary”: this is the message addressed today by Defense Minister Benny Gantz to the leaders of Gaza, after repeated threats. in recent days by Islamic Jihad to conduct attacks on Israel. “To our enemies, especially the leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, I want to say that time is up. This threat will be removed, one way or another.” The escalation on the border between Israel and Gaza came four days ago following the capture of Bassam a-Saadi, the head of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank. The military wing of his organization has decreed a state of maximum alert among the militiamen and has threatened attacks. Israel fears in particular anti-tank rocket attacks from Gaza against Israeli vehicles passing along the edge of the Strip and has closed several arteries and a section of the railway to traffic. Gantz also accused Hamas and Islamic Jihad of “holding hostage” the people of the Strip and of being the cause of their suffering, due to the prolonged closure of the crossings between Gaza and Israel. In an attempt to avoid an escalation, Egypt has mediated between Israel and Islamic Jihad. A UN exponent, according to the media, also visited a-Saadi’s family to reassure her about the health of her relative after news of her being injured during his capture. Addressing the international community, especially those who have tried to calm the tensions, Gantz assured that “Israel behaves in a responsible and controlled manner”.
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