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Islamic Jihad announces cease-fire to end Israel fighting Islamic Jihad announces cease-fire to end Israel fighting
(about 2 hours later)
JERUSALEM — The Islamic Jihad militant group in the Gaza Strip announced a unilateral cease-fire Monday evening to end two days of heavy fighting with Israel. JERUSALEM — The Islamic Jihad militant group in the Gaza Strip announced a unilateral cease-fire on Monday, calling for a halt after two days of intense fighting with Israel, just a week before the country’s national elections.
In a short statement, the Iranian-backed group said it had completed its “retaliation” for Israel’s killing of three members. But it said it would respond to any further Israeli “aggression.” Israeli aircraft had pounded dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip throughout the day while Islamic Jihad militants bombarded southern Israel with heavy rocket fire before the cease-fire announcement Monday evening. Israel also expanded its retaliation to Syria, where some of the Iranian-backed group’s leaders are based, killing two more Islamic Jihad militants.
There was no immediate Israeli comment. There were no reports of civilian casualties on either side.
Earlier Monday, the Islamic jihad militants had resumed their intense bombardment of southern Israel, with some rockets slipping through Israel’s Iron Dome defense system and one landing in the yard of a kindergarten. In a short statement, the Iranian-backed group’s armed wing said it had completed its “retaliation” for the killing of its three members. But it vowed to respond to any further Israeli “aggression.”
There was no word of casualties, but the violence threatened to unleash a new round of hostilities just a week before Israel heads to elections. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Gaza’s Hamas rulers with a “war” if the new round of rocket fire continued, ramping up his rhetoric amid the final stretch of his campaign. Israel continued to strike targets in Gaza for nearly an hour after the announcement, then appeared to halt its activity. But later Monday evening, at least two rockets were fired out of Gaza, raising the prospect of renewed fighting.
The fighting erupted Sunday after Israel killed an Islamic Jihad militant it said was laying explosives along the border. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, locked in the final days of a divisive election campaign, ramped up his rhetoric. He threatening Gaza’s Hamas rulers with a stepped-up operation if the rocket fire continued.
Speaking to Israel’s Army Radio on Monday, Netanyahu said he’d conveyed a message to Hamas that if it did not stop Gaza militants behind the attacks, Israel would target Hamas directly. “I’m talking about a war,” he told Israel’s Army Radio station. “I only go to war as a last option, but we have prepared something you can’t even imagine.”
“If you don’t shoot them, we will shoot you. I’m talking about a war,” he said. “I only go to war as a last option but we have prepared something you can’t even imagine.” Despite the tough rhetoric, both sides had an interest in ending the fighting quickly.
Netanyahu’s interview was interrupted with news of fresh air raid sirens warning of incoming rockets, as Palestinian militant fire resumed midday after a morning lull. The Israeli military said it identified 14 rockets fired in the hour-long spree, of which it intercepted 12. Shortly after, the military began striking sites linked to militants in Gaza. For Netanyahu, the violence drew unwanted attention to Israel’s volatile southern border with Gaza, where his government has struggled to halt years of attacks and rocket fire by militant groups. Islamic Jihad, meanwhile, has been exposed in the past few months as a relatively weak and disorganized group — one that acts more as a spoiler capable of undermining cease-fire efforts than a serious military threat to Israel.
The United Nations’ Mideast envoy Nickolay Mladenov called on Twitter for “an IMMEDIATE stop to the firing of rockets that only risks dragging Gaza into another destructive round of hostilities with no end in sight!” In recent months, Israel has worked with U.N. and Egyptian mediators to cement an informal cease-fire with Hamas, the much larger Islamic militant group that has governed Gaza for more than a decade. These “understandings” have eased a painful Israeli blockade that has ravaged Gaza’s economy, in exchange for Hamas guarantees to maintain quiet.
The Islamic Jihad militant group fired at least 20 rockets on Sunday after Israeli forces killed a Palestinian militant who tried to place a bomb along the Israel-Gaza barrier fence, and then removed his body with a bulldozer. The image outraged Palestinians, leading to the rocket fire. Israel responded by striking targets linked to militants in Gaza and Syria. As a precaution, schools were closed in Israeli areas adjacent to Gaza and restrictions placed on outdoor public gatherings. The United Nations’ Mideast envoy Nickolay Mladenov, a key player in the truce efforts, had tweeted Monday calling for “an IMMEDIATE stop to the firing of rockets that only risks dragging Gaza into another destructive round of hostilities with no end in sight!”
Israel and Hamas have engaged in three wars between 2008 and 2014 and several intense rounds of violence after that. Israel and the Islamic Jihad group engaged in a heavy round of fighting last November after the Israeli military killed a top Islamic Jihad commander. Since then, Israel and Gaza’s more powerful Hamas group have been working through Egyptian mediators to cement an informal cease-fire. But Islamic Jihad has continued to try to carry out attacks. While Hamas has honored the truce, Islamic Jihad has continued to carry out attacks. The latest round of fighting erupted early Sunday after Israel killed an Islamic Jihad militant it said was planting explosives along the border.
The sudden exchanges after months of relative calm put Israel’s tense security situation back on the agenda a week before the the country’s third election in less than a year. The campaign has thus far largely focused on domestic issues and Netanyahu’s precarious legal situation after he was indicted on corruption charges. An Israeli military bulldozer pushed into Gaza to retrieve his body. Footage of the bulldozer lifting the lifeless body and dangling it off the front of the vehicle quickly spread on Palestinian social media, drawing angry comments and putting pressure on the militants to respond.
Despite the tough talk and a typical preference to highlight his national security credentials, Netanyahu appears to have little appetite for a major confrontation as he fights for re-election. Islamic Jihad militants began firing rockets late Sunday, and had launched 50 rockets by the time the cease-fire was announced, according to the Israeli military. It said over 90% of the rockets were intercepted. But one projectile slammed into an empty playground in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, causing damage to a large slide.
“Israel didn’t seek escalation in Gaza. On the contrary, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered the crucial stage of the battle for his political life, it seems the last thing he needed was a violent eruption in the strip,” wrote Amos Harel, the military affairs commentator for the Haaretz daily. “An uncontrolled upsurge at this time could actually hurt Netanyahu’s chances more than it would help him.” Schools were closed in Israeli areas adjacent to Gaza, roads shut and restrictions placed on outdoor public gatherings.
It was the heaviest round of fighting since November, when Israel and Islamic Jihad engaged in a two-day battle after Israel killed one of the group’s top commanders.
The latest Israeli airstrikes targeted only Islamic Jihad positions. But Israel holds Gaza’s Hamas rulers responsible for all fire coming out of the coastal enclave, and could expand its response.
Israel and Hamas have fought three wars and numerous skirmishes since the Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority in 2007.
Still, Netanyahu appeared to be reluctant to pick a fight with Hamas so close to next Monday’s election. Hamas is much more powerful than Islamic Jihad, and it has shown itself capable of barraging Israel with rocket fire for weeks at a time.
Hamas, which remained on the sidelines, also has little interest in renewed fighting at a time when it is trying to improve living conditions for the territory it controls.
Netanyahu’s opponents have criticized him for his understandings with the group, accusing him of caving in to violence to keep things quiet.
“Netanyahu, the country is under fire. Get on helping it,” said Netanyahu’s chief rival, former military commander Benny Gantz, leader of the opposition Blue and White Party. “The people of the south deserve better.”
The election will be Israel’s third in under a year, after two inconclusive votes last year.
Netanyahu, locked in a tight race with Gantz, has tried to focus the campaign away from his upcoming trial on corruption charges by presenting himself as an experienced statesman who is best-suited to protecting Israel’s security. He appeared to have little interest in prolonged fighting so close to election day.
Tamar Hermann, an expert on Israeli public opinion at the Israel Democracy Institute think tank, said that after so many previous rounds of fighting, she did not expect the latest violence to have an impact on voters.
“It’s expected and people are used to it, and resilience is not being eroded because of such ‘normal events,’” she said.
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Fares Akram contributed reporting from Amman, Jordan.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.