Airstrikes fired by Israel towards the Gaza Strip against targets of the radical Islamic Jihad group entered the second day on Saturday (6) and are expected to last at least a week, the country’s defense forces said.
Dubbed “Dawn”, the operation began on Friday (5) and, according to a report by the Palestinian Health Ministry, left at least 14 dead, including civilians and Jihad militants. Israel says it hit 40 of the group’s targets, including weapons manufacturing and storage sites.
Egypt, which sought to mediate negotiations before the attacks began, proposed a temporary ceasefire to negotiate a lasting truce. The Jihad, however, denied the proposal, according to an official of the group informed the Lebanese channel Al-Mayadeen.
The radical group, as it had promised, retaliated by launching more than 100 rockets towards cities across the country. Israeli missile systems, in particular the Iron Dome, however, intercepted most of the projectiles.
Israel’s military says that overnight, at least 19 Jihad militants were arrested in the West Bank. Tayseer Jabari, the group’s leader since 2019, was killed in the operation in the Gaza Strip on Friday — his predecessor Baha Abu Al Ata was killed that year.
Israel had already stopped transporting fuel to the strip shortly before air strikes began, with consequences felt by the estimated 2.3 million Palestinians living there. Gaza’s power plant announced on Saturday that it had to close.
In a statement, the company said the cut will affect critical utilities and facilities, as well as exacerbate the humanitarian situation.
Border tension had eased since May 2021, when 11 days of attacks between Israel and Hamas left at least 250 people dead in Gaza and 13 in Israel. The conflict escalated, however, in recent weeks, when an Islamic Jihad leader was arrested and Tel Aviv accused the group of planning attacks against the country’s military.
United Nations Special Envoy for the Middle East Tor Wennesland said he was deeply concerned about the situation. In a statement, he stressed his rejection of reports that among the Palestinian dead was a 5-year-old girl. “There can be no justification for any attacks on civilians.”
