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islamic jihad Tag

The killing of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps' Qods Force chief, Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad, Iraq Friday morning was a severe blow to many of the Iranian-backed proxy groups in the region including Gaza’s militant groups. What has their reaction been to losing one of chief supporters? Does all of Gaza’s people support the militant groups’ position regarding the death of Soleimani?

The Palestinian rocket barrage on Israeli civilian communities continues unabated today. In all, over 500 rockets have been fired on Israeli cities and towns, causing at least four Israeli civilian deaths. Homes and the maternity ward of a hospital have been hit, among other civilian locations in Israel. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are threatening to expand the rocket fire to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and even further north.

[WAJ Note: Joe Truzman has become for me a must-follow on Twitter and through his GroundBrief newsletter for events happening in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon. I wanted to introduce him to readers, so I asked him to write a post about who he is and how he does what he does.] I am fascinated with the Middle East – particularly the security of the State of Israel in relation to its neighboring countries. There is always something happening of interest, whether it’s the militant groups in Gaza and West Bank, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iranian proxy militias in Syria or the Islamic State in northern Egypt. Israel is surrounded by enemies putting it in a unique situation where security-related events are constant. This is where I provide material and analysis that you don’t see covered by international news organizations and most news related sources.