The country’s Defense Forces detail that the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, has launched more than 350 projectiles against Israeli cities
The fierce exchange of fire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) marked this Saturday su second day with constant attacks in both directionswith no sign of a ceasefire and a steady rise in casualties, which rose to 15 dead -all Palestinians- and about 220 wounded.
What started this Friday as a “preemptive offensive” Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, has become the most serious spike in violence in the area since the escalation of violence in 2021.
From early in the morning this Saturday and throughout the day, the air raid alarms did not stop sounding in the Israeli communities bordering Gaza due to the incessant firing of rockets by the Jihad.
Since the firing this Friday of the first projectiles in response to the Israeli attack, it is estimated that the Islamist group has already launched more than 350 rocketsthe vast majority of which hit open areas or were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome anti-aircraft defense system.
The Israeli army, for its part, continued to bombard the length and breadth of the Strip, including a major attack that destroyed a five-story residential building.
Among the targets hit there are also facilities allegedly used by the YIP for the manufacture and storage of weapons, military checkpoints and sites from which rockets were launched, attacked by drones, helicopters and combat aircraft.
Increase in casualties
The number of Palestinian victims was climbing with the passing of the hours and included the death this Saturday of a 62-year-old woman, which adds to the death this Friday of a five-year-old girl.
The YIP counted among the deceased six of its membersincluding Taysir al Jabari, his number two in Gaza, leader of his armed wing in the center and north of the enclave and victim of a selective Israeli attack that began yesterday the current escalation.
That selective attack also reached to members of a YIP cell which according to the Israeli Army was preparing to carry out an attack against civilians in response to the arrest of one of the organization’s leaders last Monday.
This possible response was considered by Israel as a “imminent threat” and reason enough to start the current offensive on Friday.
Although the Israeli authorities have insisted since this Friday that their offensive is solely against Islamic Jihad and not against the Islamist movement Hamaswhich governs de facto in the Strip, one of the bombings this Saturday caused the death of a member of the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.
The group has not yet responded to the death of its militiaman or joined the YIP’s armed response to the Israeli offensive, something that, if it happens, could significantly escalate the conflict.
Another element that could aggravate the situation is a new attack by the Jihad towards the center of Israel, after the launch today of a series of rockets against the city of Modiin, located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and which represented a change in trend compared to previous launches, concentrated almost exclusively in the towns bordering Gaza.
230 wounded in Gaza and 20 in Israel
In addition to the fatalities recorded so far, the Palestinian emergency services reported 203 people injured in Gazaincluding almost a hundred minors, 30 women and 12 older adults.
Israelfor its part, count about 20including several people injured while running to bomb shelters and two soldiers injured by a rocket hit.
On the other hand, the humanitarian situation in the Strip has worsened notably in recent hoursespecially after the interruption of the operation of its only power plant, which limits the energy supply to four hours a day and threatens to affect the operation of basic services, including hospitals and health centers.
Although information has emerged about mediation attempts by Egypt and the United Nations, local media highlight that There is still no indication of an imminent ceasefire.
In fact, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said this Saturday that “operational activities against perpetrators of terrorism will continue and intensify”referring to the continuation of the offensive on Gaza.
The current operation, he added, “aims to eliminate the threat posed by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization and restore peace and stability in southern Israel.”
Israel believes that Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s ties to Iran make the group a satellite of Tehran, which he is seen by the Jewish state as an existential threat.