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| Israeli Strike Kills 2 Palestinians, One a Militant, in Gaza | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| JERUSALEM — An Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip early on Wednesday killed two Palestinians, one of them a militant who Israel said had been responsible for recent rocket attacks against southern Israel. | JERUSALEM — An Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip early on Wednesday killed two Palestinians, one of them a militant who Israel said had been responsible for recent rocket attacks against southern Israel. |
| The armed wing of Islamic Jihad said in a statement that the militant, Ahmed Zaanin, 21, had been a member of the group, and it vowed to retaliate for his death. The other person killed in the airstrike was Mr. Zaanin’s cousin, Mohammed Zaanin. They were in a white pickup truck parked outside their home in the town of Beit Hanoun when missiles hit it, a relative of the men, Tareq Zaanin, said in a telephone interview. | The armed wing of Islamic Jihad said in a statement that the militant, Ahmed Zaanin, 21, had been a member of the group, and it vowed to retaliate for his death. The other person killed in the airstrike was Mr. Zaanin’s cousin, Mohammed Zaanin. They were in a white pickup truck parked outside their home in the town of Beit Hanoun when missiles hit it, a relative of the men, Tareq Zaanin, said in a telephone interview. |
| It was the second time this week that an Israeli airstrike was aimed at a specific person, reviving a practice that had all but stopped after a Gaza cease-fire took effect 14 months ago after eight days of fierce cross-border fighting. On Sunday, the Israeli military struck and wounded a man it said was an Islamic Jihad operative who was also responsible for recent rocket fire against southern Israel. A bystander, a boy of 12, was hurt in the attack, according to Health Ministry officials in Gaza. | It was the second time this week that an Israeli airstrike was aimed at a specific person, reviving a practice that had all but stopped after a Gaza cease-fire took effect 14 months ago after eight days of fierce cross-border fighting. On Sunday, the Israeli military struck and wounded a man it said was an Islamic Jihad operative who was also responsible for recent rocket fire against southern Israel. A bystander, a boy of 12, was hurt in the attack, according to Health Ministry officials in Gaza. |
| The fragile cease-fire has frayed from both sides in recent weeks. Hamas, the Islamic group that controls Gaza, has been weakened lately by an Egyptian military crackdown on its smuggling tunnels, among other difficulties; Israeli and Palestinian analysts said that as a result, it had been doing little to stop other groups from firing rockets. | The fragile cease-fire has frayed from both sides in recent weeks. Hamas, the Islamic group that controls Gaza, has been weakened lately by an Egyptian military crackdown on its smuggling tunnels, among other difficulties; Israeli and Palestinian analysts said that as a result, it had been doing little to stop other groups from firing rockets. |
| Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly warned that Israel will not hesitate to take military action against perceived threats. | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly warned that Israel will not hesitate to take military action against perceived threats. |
| “We thwart terror attacks if we identify them while they are still being planned, and we respond decisively against those who harm us,” Mr. Netanyahu said at a news conference Tuesday with the visiting prime minister of Canada, hours before the latest airstrike. “If Hamas and the terror organizations have forgotten this message, they will learn it harshly very soon.” | “We thwart terror attacks if we identify them while they are still being planned, and we respond decisively against those who harm us,” Mr. Netanyahu said at a news conference Tuesday with the visiting prime minister of Canada, hours before the latest airstrike. “If Hamas and the terror organizations have forgotten this message, they will learn it harshly very soon.” |
| The Israeli military said in a statement that Ahmed Zaanin was behind the launching of rockets during the funeral of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who was buried on Jan. 13 at his ranch in southern Israel, near the Gaza border, with Israeli leaders and foreign dignitaries in attendance. The rockets hit open ground and did not cause casualties. | The Israeli military said in a statement that Ahmed Zaanin was behind the launching of rockets during the funeral of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who was buried on Jan. 13 at his ranch in southern Israel, near the Gaza border, with Israeli leaders and foreign dignitaries in attendance. The rockets hit open ground and did not cause casualties. |
| The military statement added that Mr. Zaanin had been planning further attacks, and said the air force had acted “in order to eliminate an imminent threat to the lives of Israeli civilians.” | The military statement added that Mr. Zaanin had been planning further attacks, and said the air force had acted “in order to eliminate an imminent threat to the lives of Israeli civilians.” |
| Islam Shahwan, a spokesman for the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza, said the ministry was taking measures to maintain the cease-fire with Israel, which was agreed upon by all factions in Gaza. He declined to elaborate on the measures. News reports said that Hamas had deployed forces near the border with Israel. Daoud Shehab, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad, said that contacts were underway between leaders of Hamas and his group. | Islam Shahwan, a spokesman for the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza, said the ministry was taking measures to maintain the cease-fire with Israel, which was agreed upon by all factions in Gaza. He declined to elaborate on the measures. News reports said that Hamas had deployed forces near the border with Israel. Daoud Shehab, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad, said that contacts were underway between leaders of Hamas and his group. |
| Experts say that though Hamas itself has been largely sticking to the cease-fire, the group has been increasingly squeezed both politically and financially since last summer, when the military in Egypt ousted President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Adnan Abu Amer, a Gaza-based analyst, said in a recent interview that as a result of the pressure, “Hamas is turning a blind eye to smaller groups that fire rockets.” | Experts say that though Hamas itself has been largely sticking to the cease-fire, the group has been increasingly squeezed both politically and financially since last summer, when the military in Egypt ousted President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Adnan Abu Amer, a Gaza-based analyst, said in a recent interview that as a result of the pressure, “Hamas is turning a blind eye to smaller groups that fire rockets.” |
| Benedetta Berti, an Israel-based expert in regional dynamics and low-intensity conflicts at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said that the cease-fire was inherently unstable because it was based purely on deterrence, which naturally weakens over time, and it was not accompanied by any political reconciliation. | Benedetta Berti, an Israel-based expert in regional dynamics and low-intensity conflicts at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said that the cease-fire was inherently unstable because it was based purely on deterrence, which naturally weakens over time, and it was not accompanied by any political reconciliation. |
| In a separate development on Wednesday, Israel’s security service, Shin Bet, and the police said in a statement that they had uncovered a Palestinian jihadist cell that was in the early stages of planning attacks against targets in Israel, including the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv and a convention center in Jerusalem. The statement said that two Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem and one person from the northern West Bank had been arrested in the case. | In a separate development on Wednesday, Israel’s security service, Shin Bet, and the police said in a statement that they had uncovered a Palestinian jihadist cell that was in the early stages of planning attacks against targets in Israel, including the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv and a convention center in Jerusalem. The statement said that two Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem and one person from the northern West Bank had been arrested in the case. |