It was a restless night across much of Israel and the Gaza Strip, and attacks continued on Sunday morning. The Israeli army says it has killed another military chief of the militant Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. Islamic Jihad’s southern commander Khalid Mansur was killed in an airstrike in the city of Rafah, the military said on Sunday morning. Two other senior jihadists were also said to have been killed, including Mansur’s deputy. Islamic Jihad confirmed Mansur’s death on Sunday.
As with the targeted killing of military chief Taisir al-Jabari, the reason given was that the jihad fighters had prepared concrete attacks on Israel. For this reason, the Israeli army surprisingly launched the “Dawn” military operation on Friday. The group, which is closely linked to Israel’s arch-enemy Iran, has been classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the US.
Islamic Jihad is more radical than Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, and is considered the second largest group. Both organizations are rivals, so a weakening of Hamas’ Islamic Jihad could well come in handy. Hamas has so far held back. Whether there will be a further escalation depends on the further behavior of those in power in the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s prime minister said the operation would ‘continue as long as necessary’
The number of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip will also play a role. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza City, 31 people were killed by Sunday noon, including six children. How many Islamic Jihad fighters are among them was not specified, nor was it specified how many Palestinians were killed by their own rockets that detonated inside the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli information, nine people, including children, were killed by misguided jihad missiles.
According to Israeli information, around 540 rockets were fired at Israel in the past three days up to Sunday noon. According to the army, most of the Iron Dome (iron dome) called system have been intercepted, around 120 projectiles are said to have exploded or fallen in the Gaza Strip – that is a comparatively high number.
Israeli Prime Minister Jair Lapid said on Sunday that the operation would “continue for as long as necessary”. Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu met the head of government for the first time for a security briefing. Netanyahu subsequently said he supported the government’s military operation. Netanyahu ended a year-long boycott. Until now, the long-serving former prime minister has refused to hold talks between representatives of the government and the opposition about the security situation, which is customary in Israel, because he doubts the legitimacy of the coalition.
Israel is currently in the midst of an election campaign. After the collapse of the eight-party coalition and the resignation of Naftali Bennett from politics, Lapid will lead the government until the November 1 election – the fifth ballot in three and a half years.
The situation in Jerusalem was also tense, where for the first time since the last major escalation on Sunday morning, rocket alarms and noises that residents say indicate the interception of projectiles could be heard. This Sunday is the Jewish day of fasting and mourning, Tisha B’Av. Religious Jews mourn the destruction of the two ancient temples in Jerusalem on the day. MP Itamar Ben Gvir from the radical party “Jewish Strength”, known for his provocations, visited the Temple Mount accompanied by the police. As the Times of Israel reported that there had been verbal arguments with Palestinians.
Egypt intervened as a mediator, and the UN Security Council is scheduled to deal with the escalation on Monday
Even without the military operation, a tense situation had been feared. In the evening, the ruling Islamist Hamas organization in the Gaza Strip called for the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount to be “defended and opposed to Israeli attacks on the holy site”. The Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam.
Egypt intervened as a mediator at the weekend. According to Israeli sources, Islamic Jihad was not ready for talks. On Monday, the UN Security Council is to deal with the escalation in the Middle East – France and Ireland, among others, had submitted an application.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin said on Sunday: “The latest developments in Gaza and Israel are a cause for great concern. We condemn in the strongest possible terms the rocket fire into Israeli cities and towns; it must stop immediately. Israel, like any other state, can the right of self-defense. Civilians must never be the target of attacks.” Criticism of the Israeli military operation “Dawn” directed against Islamic Jihad was not expressed in the statement, only reference was made to the civilian victims: “It is now necessary to prevent further escalation and to maintain the greatest possible restraint and the proportionality required under international law. We mourn with the relatives of the civilian victims and our thoughts are with all those who fear for the life and health of their loved ones at this time.”