After Israel agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire late Saturday evening, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and its supporters held ‘victory’ parades in Gaza.
On Saturday night, hundreds of Gazans, mostly young men, can be seen waving the flags of Islamic Jihad, Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups. Crowds chanted “Allahu Akbar” and motorists joined the triumphant precession which marks the end of a 5-day long Israeli counter-terrorism operation, the videos circulating on social media show.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched operation “Shield and Arrow” on Tuesday after days of relentless rocket fire from Hamas and PIJ-controlled Gaza. A 82-year-old Israeli woman and a Palestinian agriculture worker were killed as hundreds of rockets rained down on Israel everyday.
The IDF responded to rocket fire by targeting Gaza launch sites and the leadership of the Islamic Jihad terrorist group. “During the operation, Israel dramatically struck hundreds of Islamic Jihad targets, and killed 23 of the terrorist organization’s operatives, among them six senior commanders,” the Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported Sunday.
On Sunday afternoon, the Islamic Jihad violated the ceasefire, firing a rocket into southern Israel.
“The Israel Defense Forces says one rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip at the southern coastal city of Ashkelon,” The Times of Israel reported. “The military says the rocket landed in an open area, without causing any damage or injuries.”
Earlier today, Israeli military vowed to respond to any ceasefire breach. “Calm and stability will be met with calm and stability.* Israel reserves the right to act if it is threatened or attacked, and will continue to do anything necessary to protect itself,” the IDF said in a statement.
The jihad-supporting crowd didn’t mind the fact that a significant number of PIJ rockets bound for Israel landed inside Gaza, killing Palestinians. The ABC News noted Saturday that out of 1200 missiles fired at Israel “about a quarter of the rockets were misfired and landed in Gaza, while most of the rest were either intercepted or landed in open areas.”
The Israeli military declared in a statement on Sunday that the “operation has achieved its objectives.” The PIJ’s “top leadership in the Gaza Strip was eliminated,” the IDF said in a press release obtained by the Legal Insurrection.
The IDF statement further disclosed:
[W]e struck at the terrorist leaders and their replacements. In a joint IDF-ISA action, six of the senior Islamic Jihad leaders in the Gaza Strip were eliminated. These officials were responsible for terrorist attacks and the launching of hundreds of rockets at the Israeli home front.Their command and control centers were attacked, alongside positions and rocket and weaponry production and storage sites.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated the Israeli military and secutiry forces for conducting a successful operation that resulted in the elimination of several Islamic Jihad commanders, including those directly responsible for carrying out rocket attacks on Israel.
The Times of Israel reported Israeli prime minister’s remarks:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday hailed the performance of Israel’s security forces during the recent conflict with a terror group in the Gaza Strip, saying they heeded his directives to take the initiative and surprise Israel’s enemies.“The instruction I gave together with the defense minister to the IDF and the Shin Bet could be summed up in two words: ‘Initiative’ and ‘surprise,’” Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, in his first public comments since the ceasefire came into effect the previous night.“Yesterday I congratulated the IDF chief of staff and the head of the Shin Bet and said the following two words: ‘Well done,’” he said, switching to English for the words of praise.“The performance was indeed perfect. With complete surprise and continuous initiative, we eliminated Islamic Jihad’s entire top brass in Gaza, destroyed 17 Islamic Jihad command centers, eliminated dozens of terrorists, struck missile storage sites, took out anti-tank squads and more,” Netanyahu said.
According to some media reports, President Joe Biden has been urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to wind down the military operation against the Islamic Jihad. The left-wing Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Thursday that the “Biden administration is signaling to Israel to reach a ceasefire and end its ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip.”
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