ISRAEL (IINO)
Islamic Jihad: ‘Too early for ceasefire’
An Islamic Jihad spokesperson commented that the organization still has goals to achieve in the current round of hostilities.
May 12, 2023, 3:46 PM (GMT+3) – Ihsan Ataya, a member of the political bureau of the Islamic Jihad and the organization’s representative in Lebanon, says that the military campaign against Israel is coordinated with all the organizations of the struggle, and that relations with Hamas are solid and the two organizations cannot be separated.
“To those who are trying to drive a wedge between Hamas and Islamic Jihad, we tell them that this attempt is worthless,” Ataya said, noting that Israel tried to take advantage of the differences of opinion between the organizations, but this was thwarted.
Ataya further emphasized the strengthening of the role of the joint operations room in the development of the means of struggle in the future, the fighting tactics in the current conflict that serve Gaza and the Palestinian problem as a whole and the unity of the conflict arenas against Israel, since “it is the guarantee for the elimination of the (Zionist) entity and the liberation of Palestine.”
Related articles:
- Netanyahu, Gallant: Continue exacting price from Islamic Jihad
- Over 800 rockets fired at Israel
- ‘Islamic Jihad will pay a heavy price for continued rocket fire’
- Wave of arrests targets Islamic Jihad operatives
“It is too early to talk about ceasefires, we are still at the beginning of the fighting,” Ataya said. “The discourse in the media about mediation, the terms and details related to it does not serve the organizations of the struggle.”
Gaza’s ghosts Caroline Glick
We must not repeat the disastrous mistakes of the past. Op-ed.
May 12, 2023, 3:00 AM (GMT+3) – (JNS) In a jaw-dropping display of irony, on Wednesday the Neve Dekalim Girl’s High School was forced to cancel a scheduled celebration to mark its 40th birthday.
Since 2005, the school has been located in Nitzan, around 30 kilometers outside Gaza. For its first 22 years, it was located in Neve Dekalim, the capital of the Gush Katif settlement bloc in southern Gaza. The school moved to Nitzan when the Sharon government ordered the IDF to expel all Jews from Gaza, destroy their communities and withdraw IDF forces to the 1949 armistice lines. (Officially called the “Disengagement from Gaza,” the 8000 Jews whose homes were destroyed by their own government and the Israeli Right call it the “Expulsion,” ed.)
On Wednesday, Nitzan, like all the other communities in the western Negev, came under missile assault from the ruins of Neve Dekalim and the ruins of the other destroyed communities of Gaza. After Israel withdrew 18 years ago, Hamas and its fellow terror groups transformed what had been flourishing communities into terror bases and rocket launching sites.
Islamic Jihad, which is currently attacking Israel with rockets, missiles and mortars, is supposedly Hamas’ junior partner. But even as a junior terror master, the organization formed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps in 1988 has become a formidable problem. With rockets and missiles capable of attacking Tel Aviv, Beersheva and their environs, the supposed little guy in Gaza managed to shoot off close to 600 missiles, mortars and rockets in two days and force more than two million Israelis to run to bomb shelters for cover. The wizened experts sitting in the TV studios all explain that Israel is right to try to keep Hamas out of things, because if we think Islamic Jihad is a problem, their capabilities are but a faint echo of Hamas’ amassed power.
It is considered impolite to discuss the 2005 withdrawal from Gaza these days. It’s old news. Time to move on, irritated anchors and editors insist. And anyway, no one wants to sound like a broken record. That’s why the story of Neve Dekalim Girl’s High School barely registered on Wednesday.
But from time to time, it’s imperative to bring up the 2005 operation. It stands as a glaring lesson that we ignore at our peril.
Sixth senior Islamic Jihad official eliminated
A senior Islamic Jihad official is reported killed in Gaza – the sixth since the beginning of Operation Shield and Arrow.
May 12, 2023, 5:17 PM (GMT+3) – Palestinian media reports on the apartment of a senior Islamic Jihad official that was bombed in a seven-story building in the center of Gaza City. Fire and smoke could be seen from the apartment in photos released from the scene.
The Palestinians reported at least one dead and ten wounded in the attack.
Islamic Jihad spokesman Daud Shahab said that “the launches towards Jerusalem are a message according to which the eyes of the resistance are open to Jerusalem and see everything the enemy is planning there. The time for the flag march is approaching, and this encourages us to continue.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold another situation assessment at 6:00 p.m. which will be conducted by telephone.
Related articles:
- Islamic Jihad: ‘Too early for ceasefire’
- Rockets launched towards Jerusalem, Gush Etzion
- Iron Dome failure responsible for fatal rocket attack in Rehovot
- Netanyahu, Gallant: Continue exacting price from Islamic Jihad
Meanwhile, at the end of a joint situation assessment by the Home Front Command and the Rishon Lezion Municipality, it was decided to cancel the Backstreet Boys performance that was planned to take place at the “Zappa Live Park” complex in the city on Saturday night.
[Ed.: Allahu Akbar!]
Israel will need more than successful strikes if it wants to change the Gaza equation By Yoav Limor
For those who may have forgotten – only nine months ago, Israel succeeded in wiping out the PIJ leadership in the Gaza Strip, which shows that the deterrence generated from military targeting activity is somewhat limited. The PIJ is well aware that the combination of strong discipline among the Israeli public and the Iron Dome significantly limit their chances of exacting a price.
05-11-2023 17:57 – Israel’s decision to launch Operation Shield and Arrow was essentially the result of a predicament leaving it with no choice. The incessant rampant violence pursued by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which reached a peak last week following the midday barrage of rockets launched into the town of Sderot, which borders the Gaza Strip, combined with the severe erosion of deterrence on all fronts, left it no choice but to go back to basics.
The initial opening phase of the operation was extremely successful. The PIJ was completely taken by surprise, both in terms of the timing and the intensity of the opening shot. The targeting of the three senior terrorist commanders – in their homes, while they slept – has knocked the PIJ off balance. This also served as a reminder to other senior terrorists elsewhere that their home is not their castle, and that wherever they choose to hide they will not be immune from retribution. Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who has been strutting around like a peacock for the last few months, could well provide first-hand testimony to that effect.
Such an operation requires precise synchronization between high-caliber (human and technological) intelligence and surgical operational capabilities. Israel is probably the global leader in these two specific fields and particularly in converting them into a whole that is larger than the sum of all its parts. The targeting activity in the Gaza Strip required not only precise information as to where each of these senior figures was sleeping, down to the nitty-gritty details of the specific room in the house and who is there beside the individual, but it was also necessary to time the takeoff of the aircraft and the strikes down to a tee so that the three of them would be hit simultaneously and would not be able to get away. The fact that the strike was implemented without any hitches is the result of the successful completion of this prior operational intelligence puzzle, a considerable part of which was dedicated to minimizing the possibility of harming non-combatants. The green light for the strike was actually given last Tuesday (immediately after the rocket fire on Sderot), but it was repeatedly postponed due to concern over the potential harm to a large number of civilians. Israel was highly motivated to avoid such a scenario, not only from the humanitarian aspect but also as such collateral damage would surely serve to drag Hamas into the fray. The decision to finally launch the strike yesterday, in any event, was made, among others, as it was clear that the senior PIJ commanders taken out had the constant potential to take action and to ignite a much broader escalation during which even more innocent bystanders on both sides would clearly be hurt.
Israel is now paying the price for its 2005 Gaza pullout By Nadav Shragai
The expulsion, or the “Disengagement”, was not only a cynical, anti-Zionist act, lacking any real purpose, but also the direct cause of the severe deterioration in the security situation.
05-12-2023 13:44 – The plan to fire rockets from Jenin has shown that Judea & Samaria too could turn into Hamastan, if we withdraw. The expulsion, or the “Disengagement”, was not only a cynical, anti-Zionist act, lacking any real purpose but also the direct cause of the severe deterioration in the security situation.
The current round of violence in the Gaza Strip has a cause and effect, there is an underlying factor that has given rise to it. We really should not ignore it. What is happening at this current moment in time along our southern border, and what has occurred there in previous rounds of violence, is not something that has taken place within a vacuum. The mortar bombs, the rockets and the missiles neither were, nor are, a matter of divine will. They are all the result of our own stupidity – the folly of the “Disengagement Plan”.
We should never cease to mention this: the expulsion, or the “Disengagement” as it is more euphemistically referred to, was not only a cynical, anti-Zionist act, lacking any insight or real purpose but also the direct cause of the severe deterioration in the security situation. Immediately after the Disengagement, Hamas and the terrorist organizations took control of the Gaza Strip, and consequently, the threats from Israel’s southern border have worsened over time. The rate of rocket fire has constantly increased from one round of violence to the next. From one round of violence to the next the enemy has been able to considerably upgrade its arsenal along with its independent rocket manufacturing capacity.
Terrorists fire hundreds of rockets at Israel as IDF strikes Palestinian Islamic Jihad assets in Gaza By Geller Report Staff
May 11, 2023 – Remember how under President Trump the Middle East was quite. With the Biden Administration’s appeasement policies towards Iran, Iran-backed terrorists organizations are rocketing Israel from Gaza. Today, Israeli civilians are scrambling to bomb shelters. The Biden Administration has brought nothing but chaos and destruction to all corners of the world.
Israel’s Campaign in Gaza Has Been a Success, but Won’t Achieve a Decisive Victory
MAY 12 2023 – Since Israel launched Operation Shield and Arrow on Tuesday, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has fired over 800 rockets into the southern and central parts of the country—killing at least one, wounding several, and causing extensive damage. The IDF undertook the operation after the Iran-backed organization launched a barrage of 102 rockets at Israeli towns and villages last week. Thus far, Jerusalem has killed at least three senior PIJ commanders and destroyed numerous rocket-launching facilities. Yoav Limor takes stock, and draws some conclusions:
The Israeli government murdered the Jews in Meron [12:42] Chananya Weissman
Who were these Shabak agents? Who devised this elaborate military operation and gave the orders?
A corrupt system will not prosecute and punish itself. Justice must come another way.
[Ed.: ‘It’s hard to be a Jew!’ It’s even harder to be a Jew in IINO!]
First Israeli Civilian Fatality: Gaza Rocket Makes Direct Hit on Building By Gil Tanenbaum
Seven others were wounded; four are in moderate condition and three were lightly injured. Several others were treated for shock.
The first Israeli civilian was killed by the rocket fire launched at civilian targets in the country by the Islamic Jihad since the IDF began “Operation Shield and Arrow” against the terrorist organization’s leadership and bases in Gaza Tuesday morning. The victim was killed when a rocket hit a residential building in the city of Rehovot, located in central Israel, Thursday evening.
According to Magen David Adom first responders, he suffered from multiple systemic injuries due to the rocket attack.
There were a total of eight casualties from the attack, including the one fatality. There were also four listed in moderate condition, and three others who suffered minor injuries.
Five of the wounded were sent to Kaplan Hospital, including a 74-year-old man and a 50-year-old man, 2 women around the age of 70 and one minor whose age was not disclosed.
Misfired Rockets: Islamic Jihad Terrorists Kill 4 Gaza Residents, Including a Teen and a 10-Year-Old By Pesach Benson
May 11, 2023 – Ten-year-old Lin Belal Abd al-Salam Loh and 16-year-old Vizen Juda Aliyan were among the casualties.
The Israeli military on Thursday accused Palestinian Islamic Jihad of killing four Gaza civilians in failed rocket launches.
The four were killed in separate incidents all on Wednesday as the terror group fired more than 500 rockets. Of those, the Israel Defense Forces reported that 108 of the launches failed.
In one of the cases, a rocket landed in Beit Hanoun, in the northwest area of Gaza, killing 16-year-old Rami Shadi Hamdan and 51-year-old Ahmed Muhammad al-Shabaki.
Other failed launches killed 10-year-old Lin Belal Abd al-Salam Loh and 16-year-old Vizen Juda Aliyan.
During a previous military operation against Islamic Jihad in August 2022, the terror group fired around 1,000 rockets, of which 120 misfired. Fourteen Palestinians were killed by misfired rockets, raising widespread anger in Gaza.
Maintaining weapons caches, tunnels, launchers, and command and control sites in civilian areas is a war crime. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas and Islamic Jihad of deliberately embedding themselves in close proximity to homes, schools, hospitals and mosques.
Another Islamic Jihad leader killed in Gaza
Deputy commander of rocket-launching force killed in IDF strike.
May 11, 2023, 4:40 PM (GMT+3) – A short while ago, the IDF targeted an additional senior operative of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, Ahmed Abu-Deka, a senior member of the Islamic Jihad rocket launching force.
Abu-Deka was responsible for the rocket launches toward Israel over the last few days, and specifically toward the city of Sderot, along with the routine management of the forces.
Abu-Deka operated to advance, plan, and execute rocket fire attacks toward Israel. He took part in the barrages of rockets fired toward Israeli civilians during operations “Guardian of the Walls” and “Breaking Dawn.”
Last night, the IDF announced that another Islamic Jihad leader was killed in Gaza.
“A short while ago, IDF fighter jets targeted Ali Ghali, the commander of the rocket launching force of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip, who was in a hideout apartment in Khan Yunis,” the IDF spokesman stated.d articles:
- Police advise Rehovot residents to stay in protected areas
- MDA: 19 rocket victims treated today, 51 this week
- ‘Islamic Jihad will pay a heavy price for continued rocket fire’
- Rocket shrapnel strikes minister’s car in Sderot
As of 2:30 pm, 550 rockets have been fired at Israel since Monday night. The Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems have intercepted 175 rockets. 124 rockets failed to cross into Israeli territory and landed in Gaza, killing four innocent people.
Report: Israel, Gaza terror groups agree to ceasefire after 280 rockets fired
Eyptian sources claim ceasefire talks successful. David’s Sling has first successful interception of rocket fired at Tel Aviv.
May 10, 2023, 7:06 PM (GMT+3) – Media outlets in Egypt are reporting this evening (Wednesday) that the Egyptian government mediators have managed to reach an agreement on a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization on the Gaza border which has gone into effect.
A political official confirmed that advanced negotiations for a ceasefire are taking place. However, despite the contacts, red alert sirens were heard in the Gaza periphery.
Israel has not confirmed that a ceasefire has been reached, and red alert sirens continued to be activated in southern Israel after the ceasefire was reported to have gone into effect. [Emphasis added]
The IDF reported earlier that over 270 rockets were fired during the afternoon at the settlements of the south and center of the country. One rocket hit an empty house in Sderot, while another rocket was intercepted after being fired at Tel Aviv.
WATCH: IDF nixes airstrike at last minute to avoid hitting children
May 11, 2023 – Israel Air Force aborts airstrike after two children were spotted near the target.
Operation Shield and Arrow: IDF eliminates 2nd senior terror commander in a day
May 11, 2023 – Abu-Deka “operated to advance, plan, and execute rocket fire attacks toward Israel,” the IDF said.
The Israeli Defense Forces announced that it killed yet another senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander late Thursday afternoon – the second successful target in one day.
Sirens sounded in southern Israel in the wee Thursday morning hours after the army announced that it eliminated Ali Ghali, commander of PIJ’s rocket -launching force in Gaza. Two other PIJ operatives were killed as as well.
“Ghali was a central figure in Islamic Jihad, as well as responsible for the recent rocket barrages launched against Israel,” the IDF tweeted.
[Ed.: It is currently 2:30 pm Eastern. I have an App called ‘Red Alert’. It sends an alarm each time a rocket is sent to IINO. This app has been going off like a freakin’ pinball machine for the last three days.
Bennett to CNN: I will NOT apologise for Israel’s defending its people. [1:21] Naftali Bennett
May 10, 2023
Tunisia Synagogue Shooting: ‘The police shielded Jews with their bodies’
Two Jews, identified as cousins, killed along with security guard at Lag Ba’Omer celebration in Djerba synagogue.
May 10, 2023, 3:01 PM (GMT+3) – Three people were murdered Tuesday night in a shooting attack near the El Ghriba Synagogue on the island of Djerba, Tunisia.
The two Jewish victims have been identified as cousins Aviel and Ben Hadad, one of whom was an Israeli citizen who resided in Tunisia, the other being a French national. The third victim was a security guard.
The terrorist opened fire during a gathering commemorating Lag BaOmer, attended by hundreds of local Jews and Israelis.
According to a report by AP , the terrorist was killed by security personnel who sought to prevent him from entering the synagogue. It was also reported that ten people were wounded in the attack. Following the shooting, hundreds of worshippers who were inside the synagogue were locked inside the building. Only a few hours later, security forces began evacuating the worshippers from the premises.
2 Jews murdered in attack on Tunisian synagogue Ido Ben Porat
Hundreds of Jews celebrating Lag Ba’Omer in Djerba synagogue lock themselves in compound after gunshots heard.
May 10, 2023, 7:47 AM – At least three people were murdered in an attack outside of a synagogue in Tunisia during Lag Ba’Omer celebrations Tuesday.
A former Tunisian naval guard shot and killed a colleague and two civilians on Tuesday near the synagogue on the island of Djerba as Lag Ba’Omer celebrations were taking place there, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said, according to The Associated Press.
One of the civilians killed in the attack has been identified as a local Jewish man, while the other has been identified as an Israeli national.
The attacker was killed by security guards seeking to prevent him from entering the synagogue, the ministry said in a statement. In addition to the dead, ten people were wounded in the attack.
The assailant is a guard affiliated with the National Guard naval center in the town of Aghir on Djerba. He first killed a colleague with his service weapon and then seized ammunition and sought to reach the Ghriba synagogue, the ministry said.
When he reached the area, he opened fire on security units stationed at the synagogue, which was locked down so that those inside were kept secure while authorities investigate the motives for the attack, the ministry said.
Several hours later, police forces began evacuating the worshipers from the synagogue.
It is unclear at this time whether the two civilians who were killed were among the worshipers in the synagogue at the time of the incident.
Djerba is home to one of the last Jewish communities in the Arab world, and the synagogue is believed to date to the sixth century BCE.
Palestinians unleash rockets as far as Tel Aviv, Rishon LeZion, Ramat Gan DEBKAfile
May 10, 2023 @ 15:27 – Scores of rockets were launched without pause against a swiftly widening area of Israel up to the central city of Tel Aviv on Wednesday, May 10, more than a day after the IDF Gaza operation killed 3 Islamic Jihad leaders in Gaza. The rockets targeted locations bordering on the enclave, before reaching the central Israel cities of Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Rishon Lezion in the north and Netivot in the east. No casualties were immediately reported. Iron Dome batteries widely dispersed in readiness for Palestinian retaliation blew up most of the rockets in mid-air, while the IDF air force continuously bombed the rocket launch sites embedded in clusters in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF did not wait for the Islamic Jihad to decide when and how to retaliate for the loss of its leaders and many of its military assets to the Israeli operation. Early Wednesday an Islamic Jihad rocket squad was caught from the air and eliminated.
Netanyahu: Israel ready for multi-front war against Iran and terror proxies
May 9, 2023 – We are in the midst of a campaign. We are prepared for all possibilities. I suggest that our enemies not test us,” said the Israeli premier.
Israel is prepared for a multi-front conflict against Iran and its terrorist proxies, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday after the Jewish state launched “Operation Shield and Arrow” against Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip.
“It’s clear that 95% of Israel’s security problems come from Iran,” the prime minister said in a Zoom address to a conference organized by the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF).
“We are dealing with an attempt by Iran to start a multi-front campaign against us. I instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] and security forces to be prepared for this fight. … If we need to, we will,” he added.
Defense Minister warns Israeli mayors to prepare for ‘prolonged campaign’ against Gaza By Pesach Benson, TPS
May 9, 2023 – Following targeted killing of three senior Islamic Jihad terrorists, Gallant warns that Israel may face sustained conflict with Gaza in the immediate future.
During a briefing for mayors of communities near the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told the municipal leaders to be prepared for a “prolonged campaign” against the Palestinian terror groups.
“We must be prepared for any scenario, including a prolonged campaign with an extended range of fire,” Gallant said, according to remarks provided by the Defense Ministry.
“It is very important that the citizens, under your leadership, be disciplined, attentive, and listen to life-saving instructions. The IDF and the security forces are prepared with all means and on all fronts,” he said.
Gallant added, “The defense establishment will provide whatever assistance is required. I instructed the professionals to be in continuous contact with you and take care of everything required for the needs of the residents. You have our full support.”
Israel launched surprise air strikes on Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets, including killing three of the terror group’s senior figures on early Tuesday morning. Military positions belonging to Islamic Jihad were struck, including a rocket factory and a facility which produced concrete components for terror tunnels, the IDF said.
WATCH: In first, United Nations to commemorate Nakba Day
May 10, 2023 – Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan called on member states to not give in to the Palestinian leadership’s “slanderous campaign to rewrite history” and to boycott the “antisemitic event.”
WATCH: Arab driver mocks Israeli civilians running for shelter
May 10, 2023 – Despite the danger to himself as well, an Arab-Israeli truck driver made fun of Jewish Israeli civilians running for cover during a rocket attack from Gaza. (Courtesy Abu Ali Express)
[Ed.:
Israeli military evacuates thousands of Gaza-area residents
The Defense Ministry is busing people elsewhere in the country, where they are being put in hotels, hostels and guesthouses for the next few days.
May 10, 2023 – Thousands of Israelis living near Gaza have been evacuated since Tuesday’s targeted killings of three top Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in the Strip.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant approved the evacuation in anticipation of retaliatory rocket fire from terrorist factions in Gaza.
Evacuees are being bused to hotels, hostels and guest houses throughout Israel, where they will be able to stay for three days, with the possibility of an extension depending on the security situation.
Many other Gaza-area residents have temporarily relocated to other parts of the country on their own initiative.
“The program is operated by the local authorities and allows every resident of the localities near the Gaza border to go on a respite with the aid of the state in guesthouses, specified in advance by the authorities,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, no rockets were fired from Gaza overnight. The army said, however, that restrictions would remain in place for residents close to the coastal enclave.
[Ed.: Kahane was right after all! Too bad they had him killed…]
