JERUSALEM – A ceasefire ending three days of fierce cross-border fighting between Israel and a group of Palestinian militants in Gaza appeared to have been held on Monday, and life on both sides of the front line began to return to normal. often.
Israeli army open an attack On Friday afternoon with rocket attacks on targets of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, it said the action was intended to prevent an impending attack. It strikes targets in the Gaza Strip from the air, on land and at sea. Islamic Jihad troops fired about 1,100 rockets and mortars towards Israeli territory, the army said.
Both sides agreed to an Egyptian mediator ceasefire Sunday night to stem the most intense Israeli-Palestinian fighting in more than a year. According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, at least 44 Palestinians were killed in the fighting, 15 of them children, and 360 were injured, 20 of them in serious condition.
After about a week of closure, Israel reopened Gaza’s border crossings for humanitarian supplies on Monday morning, starting with fuel deliveries to address a severe power shortage in the region. At midday, Israeli authorities lifted all safety restrictions that had been imposed on residents in the border area over the past week to keep them close to bomb shelters and out of range of gunmen. trim.
Here’s what we know about the aftermath of the three-day conflict.
Islamic Jihad appears to have been dealt a heavy blow.
Summing up its campaign in Gaza, the Israeli military said on Monday it had hit 170 jihadist targets, eliminating the group’s senior commanders as well as missile launch teams. time to destroy launch craters, command posts and armories.
Islamic Jihad says it has lost 12 leaders and members. Among them were Taysir al-Jabari, commander of the northern region of Gaza, and Khaled Mansour, commander of the southern region.
Although Islamic Jihad claims to have made some vague concessions regarding its prisoners in Israel under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel denies that it has agreed to any. any other event other than the cessation of hostilities by both sides.
The Israeli military says about 200 rockets fired by Islamic Jihad have crashed and landed inside the Gaza Strip, causing civilian casualties, including children.
And they say their Iron Dome anti-missile defense system has performed 380 interceptions of missiles directed at population centers in Israel, with a success rate of about 96% – up from about 90% in the last year. previous installments. Tzipi Livni, a former senior Israeli government minister and veteran negotiator with the Palestinians, said those defensive measures had shortened the duration of the fighting and prevented more casualties.
However, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ziad al-Nakhala, also claimed victory shortly after the ceasefire announcement on Sunday night.
“The jihadist movement is stronger today and all the enemy cities are within range of the resistance missiles,” he said in a televised address, adding, “We I still control the battlefield despite the imbalance of power with the enemy.”
The acting prime minister of Israel has flagged his security credentials.
The latest operation in Gaza is seen by many as a success in Israel, with no Israelis killed and little damage on the Israeli side.
That is working in favor of Yair Lapid, the new centre-right prime minister of Israel’s caretaker government, who is running for office in an election scheduled for November 1.
Mr Lapid has long been accused by critics in Israel of lacking the national security know-how needed to lead the country in times of war, especially when compared to his main rival, Benjamin Netanyahu , who has as much experience as Israel. The longest serving Prime Minister and currently leads the opposition.
But by starting the air strikes on Friday, Mr. Lapid improved his starting position in the political race, analysts said. And on Sunday, he scored a public relations coup when Mr Netanyahu, who has refused to attend security briefings with Mr Lapid in the past, was pictured sitting across from Mr. when he received an official update on the security situation and issued a statement. support for the government.
“Lapid now has the image of a prime minister leading a military campaign,” said Gayil Talshir, a political scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Hamas, the main militant group in Gaza, stayed out of the conflict.
Hamas, the largest and most powerful militant group in the Palestinian coastal region blockaded Gaza, has orchestrated the latest conflict with Israel, leaving all fighting to the Islamic Jihad. smaller spear. The two groups are adversaries but often partners with each other to confront Israel.
Israeli officials and experts say Hamas’ decision to stay on the sidelines, even as the death toll rises in Gaza, is testament to the success of the Israeli government’s change of policy toward the enclave. poor last year.
In an effort to improve the economy of Gaza, with a population of about two million and an unemployment rate of about 50%, Israel has issued work permits to the territory’s 14,000 residents – a relatively small number but for By far the most. Hamas took power in 2007, providing financial resources for thousands of families.
Israel said it could expand the number of permits further, to 20,000, depending on the security situation, and it has also made efforts over the past year to increase Gaza’s imports and exports.
However, the prospect of much greater economic development is hampered by Hamas’ refusal to release the remains of two Israeli soldiers, detained since 2014, and the years-long prison sentences for two Israeli civilians caught in the act. mental health problems.
Another factor limiting Gaza’s development, according to Israeli officials, is Hamas’ refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist and continues to focus on building up its military at the expense of investing in civilians.
For its part, Muslim Jihad denied that Hamas’ decision to stay on the sidelines of the fighting had deepened divisions between the two groups. Al-Nakhala, the leader of Islamic Jihad, said: “Hamas is the mainstay of the resistance and we are in constant alliance with them to confront the enemy.”
Islamic Jihad has failed to unite the West Bank and Gaza.
The secretary general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, al-Nakhala, said his organization wanted to protect the life of Bassem Saadi, a senior figure of Islamic Jihad who was captured by Israeli special forces. held in the occupied West Bank last week. The militants have threatened retaliation in response to the arrest. Islamic Jihad subsequently demanded his release within the framework of Egypt-brokered cease-fire negotiations – so far to no avail.
The past two days of conflict in Gaza could be linked to an increase in violence across Israel and the West Bank a few months ago. A series of Palestinian attacks on civilians in Israel in April and May led to an increase in Israeli raids across the West Bank and near-nightly arrests, culminating in Mr. Saadi’s arrest.
With threats of retaliation, IS hopes to rein in Israeli actions against the group in the West Bank. But air strikes in the West Bank continued, even as fighting broke out in Gaza.
On Saturday, the Israeli military said it had arrested 19 jihadist suspects in overnight raids in the West Bank. On Sunday, they said they had detained 20 others.
Israel says it enjoys international support, and avoids criticism from some of its new Arab allies.
The latest wave of violence followed shortly after a mid-July visit to President Joe Biden’s estate. In one statement “My support for Israel’s security is long and unwavering – including the right to defend itself against White House attacks,” Biden said.
Mr. Biden especially thanked the Egyptian leadership for their central role in ending hostilities, as well as Qatar for their help, and said the United States had also worked with officials from Israel, the Palestinian Authority is based in the West Bank and Jordan. .
Israeli officials said strong expressions of support also came from European countries.
The fighting also highlights the growing acceptance of Israel in other parts of the Arab world. Past wars in Gaza have been heavily criticized by other Arab countries. This time, the response is more muted.
Two of the three Arab states formalize their relations with Israel by 2020 in a process known as the Abrahamic, Moroccan and United Arab Emirates Agreements, expressed mind about violence but avoid criticizing Israel. Only the third country, Bahrain, directly condemn Israeli attacks.
Hiba YazbekFady Hanona and Iyad Abuheweila contribution report.
