The number of Palestinians killed since the beginning of fighting between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad climbed to 23 Wednesday afternoon after the IDF struck a group of terrorists preparing to fire an anti-tank missile at Israeli positions across the Gaza border. More than 100 rockets were fired into Israel since Wednesday morning, bringing the total number since fighting broke out on Tuesday to 350. Israel deployed artillery batteries along the Gaza border and 13 Palestinians were killed in a series of attacks throughout Wednesday. The IDF was on high alert in the morning after the quiet felt overnight in Israel was broken by several rocket barrages launched by Palestinian Islamic Jihad towards southern and central Israel on Wednesday morning. Rocket sirens first sounded in Gaza border communities around 6 a.m. and shortly afterwards near Latrun and Beit Shemesh outside Jerusalem. Residents reported hearing loud explosions, likely Iron Dome missile defense interceptors fired towards the rockets fired from Gaza. Several dozen more salvos were then fired throughout the morning toward southern Israeli communities bordering the Shfela and the Gaza Strip, as well as the cities of Netivot, Ashkelon and Sderot. Following the rocket fire, the IDF struck several Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the central Gaza Strip, killing two Palestinians identified as 38-year-old Khaled Moawad Faraj, a field commander with the terror group, and 32-year-old Alaa Ashtyawu, an operative with the group. Another five people were reported killed in an Israeli airstrike against a motorcycle in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. Several others were injured. PIJ confirmed that Faraj, the group’s central brigade commander, was killed, and warned of retaliation. Gaza’s health ministry said that the number of Palestinian casualties since Tuesday morning was 12; the IDF said the majority were PIJ terrorists. While the IDF doesn’t want the situation to escalate into a military operation inside the Strip, there has been a small increase in troop deployment along the Gaza border fence with a limited number of companies and battalions. Artillery batteries and tanks have also been deployed along the Gaza border. The rocket fire came after six hours of relative calm where no rockets were fired, after over 220 rockets were fired towards southern and central Israel after the IDF assassinated PIJ commander Bahaa Abu al-Ata in a pre-dawn precision airstrike. Defense Minister Naftali Bennett said Wednesday morning that al-Ata “was an architect of terror belonging to Islamic Jihad who worked against Israeli citizens.” Bennett warned that Israel assassinated him yesterday and “will not hesitate to act again in the future. This morning we send a clear message to all our enemies, in all decrees: Whoever plans to hurt us during the day will never survive the night.” The IDF said that 90% of rockets heading towards residential areas were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. Of the rockets not intercepted, 60% of them fell in open areas. Dozens of other rockets fired by the group fell in the Gaza Strip, including one which, according to Haaretz, hit the office of Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights, which had its offices on the fifth floor of the Al-Harara office building in Gaza City. Following rocket fire throughout the day, the IDF launched three waves of retaliatory airstrikes, hitting dozens of targets belonging to the group across the blockaded coastal enclave. Tuesday night, PIJ spokesperson Abu Hamza warned that the “coming hours will add a new title of defeat for [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu.” According to IDF spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Hidai Zilberman, the overnight calm was not indicative of a ceasefire but rather that PIJ was managing their weapon stockpile for several days of fighting. “Palestinian Islamic Jihad resumed firing this morning and the group intends to fire rockets in a way similar to what we saw yesterday,” Zilberman said Wednesday morning. “PIJ is being meticulous and managing its stockpiles for several days of fighting, and is keeping all their options on the table.” According to the spokesman, Hamas has not yet been involved in the fighting, but “the situation is fragile” and as such, the IDF has targeted PIJ positions and infrastructure that might injure or kill civilians so Hamas won’t have a reason to join in. “We are not attacking Hamas, and the PIJ targets we are striking are not in the center of Gaza City – like 5-story buildings – because we understand that we are walking on a tightrope. We do not want to kill civilians, which could lead Hamas to join the fighting combat.” The IDF is also continuing to gather intelligence against PIJ targets across the Strip. “We have a relatively rich PIJ target bank and we will continue to prepare additional options, both defensive and offensive,” Zilberman said. Al-Ata was described by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi on Tuesday as the man “who undermined the quiet in southern Israel” and who “acted in every way to sabotage attempts for calm with Hamas. He was a living ticking bomb, and up until today worked and planned attacks. He was responsible for the majority of attacks that took place over the past year.” Since June, the military has been working to stop al-Ata from continuing to plan and carry out attacks and rocket fire towards Israel.Source
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