Israel-Gaza: Following a flare-up in Gaza, Israel detains 19 militant suspects

• After conducting airstrikes against sites in the Gaza Strip, Israel claims to have detained 19 members of the Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad in raids across the occupied West Bank.
• The airstrikes have claimed the lives of eleven persons, including Tayseer Jabari, the commander of the PIJ, and a young kid.
• Israel said that the attacks were in response to the group’s “immediate threat.

After conducting airstrikes against sites in the Gaza Strip, Israel claims to have detained 19 members of the Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad in raids across the occupied West Bank.

The airstrikes have claimed the lives of eleven persons, including Tayseer Jabari, the commander of the PIJ, and a young kid.

Israel said that the attacks were in response to the group’s “immediate threat.”

The majority of the scores of rockets fired overnight from Gaza toward Israel were intercepted, according to Israel’s military.

The recent fighting between Israel and Gaza is the worst outburst in less than a year.

More than 200 Palestinians and 12 Israelis died during the 11-day battle in May 2021 before a ceasefire was reached.

This most recent operation, code-named Breaking Dawn, might persist for a week, the Israeli military has warned.

On Saturday, sirens warning of approaching missiles were heard in Israeli communities along with new reports of airstrikes Israel claims are directed against PIJ terrorists in Gaza.

In the south of the strip, close to Khan Younis, a man was slain, according to Palestinian health officials.

However, the largest militant organization in the region, Hamas, which frequently coordinates its operations with Islamic Jihad and shares a similar ideology, does not appear to be launching rockets from its sizable rocket stockpile at this time.

There are no reports of Israeli airstrikes directed at Hamas as a result.

On Friday night, Hamas made resounding declarations asserting the unity of “resistance groups.” However, because it is in charge of Gaza, it has its own set of practical concerns that might prevent it from getting further involved.

After Israel closed its border crossings with Gaza last week out of concern that Islamic Jihad might retaliate for the arrest of one of its commanders in the northern West Bank, life in the Palestinian enclave has already become significantly more difficult.

Hamas’ estimates could be affected, for instance, if the number of civilian deaths in Gaza increases dramatically.

If it decides to take part in the conflict, it would immediately become much more intense.

If things continue as they are, Egypt, which frequently mediates disputes between Israel and Gaza, may have a greater chance of brokering a cease-fire.

According to Egyptian media, Cairo officials were prepared on Saturday to receive a probable delegation of PIJ delegates as part of that procedure.