Middle East Conflict
Israel and Islamic Jihad: fighting continues
After heavy rocket fire, Israel’s air force has again attacked targets of the militant Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. photo
© Hatem Moussa/AP/dpa
Israel and the Gaza Strip do not come to rest. For the first time since fighting began between militant Palestinians and Israel’s army, there was a rocket alert near Jerusalem – and no ceasefire in sight.
Islamic Jihad continues to fire rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel, while Israel’s air force is attacking positions of the Palestinian militant organization there.
Israeli media reported that Israel had broken off talks on a ceasefire because of the renewed, heavy rocket fire. There was initially no official confirmation of this. “We will not comment on the rumors about the ceasefire,” said a spokesman for the State Department on request.
After a relatively quiet night in Israel, the warning sirens in the border area wailed again in the morning. For the first time since the fighting began, there was a rocket alert near Jerusalem.
According to the Israeli army, it then bombed several Islamic Jihad positions and hidden rocket launchers. In the past few days, the air force has attacked more than 250 positions in the Gaza Strip, killing several high-ranking members of the jihad, which is closely linked to Iran. Targeted killings are controversial among experts. The United Nations, for example, complain that legal boundaries would be blurred. They also speak of a violation of international law.
So far 33 dead in the Gaza Strip, one dead in Israel
According to the Ministry of Health, 33 people have died in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israeli military offensive on Tuesday, including 6 children. More than 100 were injured. According to Palestinian information, at least 17 of the dead were civilians. Israel’s army said four civilian casualties were killed by misguided jihadi missiles. This cannot initially be verified independently.
A spokesman for Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, warned that the only power plant may have to be shut down in the next 72 hours due to a lack of fuel. Because of the fighting, the border crossings to the Gaza Strip are currently closed and the import of fuel has been stopped.
According to the army, militant Palestinians have so far fired more than 970 rockets and mortar shells towards Israel, 760 of which crossed the border. One person was killed when a rocket hit a house in the Israeli city of Rehovot on Thursday. Since the attacks began, 22 people have been injured in Israel.
Special protective measures are currently in place for the civilian population in southern Israel. People are only allowed to work there if the office building has a bomb-proof room. In addition, no more than ten people are allowed to meet outdoors. After an open-air concert by the Israeli musician Aviv with tens of thousands of visitors took place on Thursday despite rocket threats and triggered criticism, several concerts have now been canceled. For example, a performance by the Backstreet Boys near Tel Aviv on Saturday was canceled, the army said.
Will Hamas join the fighting?
Islamic Jihad threatened further escalations. “We will not stop before the flag march.” During the controversial march, people with Israeli flags have marched through the Muslim quarter of the old city every year on Jerusalem Day for decades, which the Palestinians see as a provocation. Jerusalem Day celebrates the Israeli conquest of East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War. The Palestinians see the Arabic-influenced eastern part of Jerusalem as the future capital of their own state.
According to experts, the further course of the conflict depends above all on whether the Palestinian organization Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, also participates. This is currently not the case, said an army spokesman on Thursday evening. According to Israeli information, Hamas has significantly more and longer-range missiles than jihad.
Bundestag honors 75th anniversary of the founding of Israel
Meanwhile, on Friday, the Bundestag honored the 75th anniversary of the founding of Israel and acknowledged the right of the Jewish state to exist with a large majority. In view of the current outbreak of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, the importance of a two-state solution for a lasting peace was emphasized in various speeches – even if this currently seems a long way off.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad are classified as terrorist organizations by the US, EU and Israel. Both groups have taken up the cause of the destruction of Israel. Hamas is considered more powerful than Islamic Jihad.